It is make or break time for Comet ISON as it nears its closest approach to the sun, set to occur just a few hours from now.
The won't outshine the moon as previously thought, but astronomers suspect it could match the brightness of Venus – if it survives its solar encounter.
This animation from NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, which orbits the sun, gives a taste of what ISON has in store. The images run from late Tuesday evening to earlier this morning and show ISON coming in as the sun (upper left) releases a coronal mass ejection, a burst of charged particles.
The comet, which is mostly made from ice and rock, will be heated to 2700°C and buffeted by the sun's immense gravity as it passes by, potentially fracturing its nucleus. If that happens, ISON is unlikely to give astronomers the light show they crave.
But if its nucleus survives, ISON will be brighter than ever. All eyes will be on the comet as it emerges from behind the sun over the rest of the week, when it will be best viewed around dawn.
If you are planning to look yourself, be extremely careful and do not look directly at the sun.
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