We'll have to wait to see if the potential "comet of the century" will, as NASA puts it, "sizzle or fizzle." In the meantime, keep an eye up for the Draconid and Orionid meteor showers.
Without a pretty good telescope, you won't be able to see Comet ISON, the year's most anticipated comet, from Virginia until November, but hang in there — and keep an eye out much earlier for what could be some impressive photos.
NASA has deployed 16 spacecraft, all trying to get pictures of the Comet ISON as it sweeps past Mars on Tuesday. Earthsky.org says Comet ISON photographs are being sought from spacecraft on Mars or in its orbit trying to get the shots.
Why hang in there?
Astronomers have had high hopes for Comet ISON, and although those hopes have dimmed a bit, they're still looking for a real show from what had been whispered as the "comet of the century" come Thanksgiving Day.
That's when the comet is expected to skim the sun's outer atmosphere and, if it survives, show itself to us little Earthlings in Virginia and the Northern Hemisphere.
NASA scientists said earlier this year their best bet for capturing great views of Comet ISON during its Mars passage will be NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
