Comet ISON may be visible in Australian skies during daylight hours

HALLEY'S comet may have been a dud, way back in 1986, but astronomers say a new galactic visitor may be bright enough to spot during daylight hours.

STARGAZERS are hoping that a newly discovered comet now heading our way will put on a show around the end of this month.

Comet ISON, which was discovered by amateur astronomers in Russia and Belarus back in September, will pass just 1.2 million km from the sun on November 29, states the Sydney Observatory website.

At that distance the comet may be visible during daylight hours, although the Observatory warns that "comets are notoriously fickle and this one may not perform as expected".

The Daily Mail reports that at its closest, the comet will be 100 times closer to the sun than the Hale-Bopp comet, which was visible in Earth's skies in 1997.

Given its proximity to the sun, some astrophysicists have predicted that the comet will be simply pulverised, but others have suggested it will survive its journey.

The Sydney Observatory recommends viewing early in the morning before dawn in late November.

"Dark spots overlooking the ocean could provide suitable viewing spots for Sydneysiders while the western shore of Port Phillip Bay maybe suitable for those in Melbourne," the Observatory states on its website.

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