Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) has started to rapidly brighten in pre-dawn skies. This comet has the potential to become as bright as the full moon would be in the daytime sky However, that potential for brightness comes with high risk for the comet itself. ISON is still inbound with a perihelion date of 11-28-13. ISON will pass within one solar diameter of the surface of the Sun but the extreme gravity could pull the comet in if it does not have sufficient mass/speed. It could also break the comet up or it could vaporize the thing. If it survives perihelion it will become an evening object and could become extremely bright. Potentially brighter than Hyukatake or Hale-Bopp.
In the last 48 hours ISON has become a naked eye object but is brightening slower than expected. You can use the chart below to locate it while looking east.
Any pair of binoculars will help you spot it about an hour before Sunrise. It will be very close to Mercury and Saturn which should be easy to spot. You can even see Saturn’s rings in binoculars! ISO will appear to be a fuzzy star with a short tail pointing almost straight up similar to the image below. It might even have a blue-green tint to it. As with everything astronomical, the darker your skies are, the better. It will not look as bright and vivid as this image does.
