Comet ISON to Fly By Mars

[Deano]

On October 1st, Comet ISON will pass closer to Mars than it ever will to Earth.
The Red Planet’s rovers and orbiters are ready to send home postcards of the event.

In one week the (in)famous Comet ISON will make its closest approach to Mars, flying just 10.8 million km (6.7 million miles) from its surface on October 1st. All Martian eyes will be watching, including Curiosity’s, though a postcard-perfect picture is far from guaranteed.

Curiosity and Opportunity will both be watching as ISON passes overhead, but the most likely detection will come from the HiRISE camera aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. That camera resolves 1-meter (3-foot) features on the Martian surface, but the unprecedented sharpness of its daylit landscapes doesn’t necessarily mean it will do well on a dim glow in darkest space several million km away. NASA already planned a test observation for August 20th, and unfortunately (but not unexpectedly), Comet ISON remained just below the detection threshold.

Full story & pictures on Sky & Telescope

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