Comet ISON crosses Mars orbit on way to Sun and a possible November light show

FIRST PICTURES: This is the cosmic 'newbie' that promises to light up our nights later this year. But it has one major hurdle to pass first.

This is the cosmic 'newbie' that promises to light up our nights later this year. But it has one major hurdle to pass first..

The comet - discovered only a year ago - will graze the edge of the Sun's atmosphere, just 1.2 million kilometres above its surface, on November 28. Whether or not the soft-green glowing wanderer is destined to become "the comet of the century" is still up in the air. The stunning picture, above, is likely to be just the first of many to flood in as the comet gets closer to Earth-bound telescopes and cameras. This image was taken by astronomy educator Adam Block from Mount Lemmon SkyCenter in Tucson Arizona. "I am certain more images of this will be coming out shortly as it increases in brightness during its dive toward the sun," Mr Brock told NBC News . "Here is to hoping it survives that rendezvous and emerges as something spectacular on the other side! Although its future is questionable...being prepared is always a sure thing to take advantage of quickly changing conditions."  But hopes of a spectacular sky show are rising now that astronomers have worked out ISON is be big enough to survive the close shave . If ISON has characteristics of a "typical" comet - composition, density and behaviour - astronomers have calculated it will not break up or evaporate. The Sydney Observatory reports ISON should be visible low in the east shortly before sunrise for the week or so before its closest approach to the Sun. If it retains its halo after the close shave, the observatory says the best views will be from mid to late November in the morning - and that it will likely be visible even in daylight. The comet's distinctive green hue comes from the gases surrounding its icy core. "Jets spewing from the comet's core probably contain cyanogen (CN: a poisonous gas found in many comets) and diatomic carbon (C2). Both substances glow green when illuminated by sunlight in the near-vacuum of space," SpaceWeather.com's Tony Phillips wrote . The comet was discovered in September last year.