Newfound Comet C/2012 S1 May Dazzle in 2013 | Space.com \t I've been craving a chance to see another major cometary event ever since Hale Bopp! At that time, I was only six or seven, and couldn't truly appreciate the spectacle... regardless, the sight of it is seared in to my memory. Here's hoping that it will be well worth the year long wait to glimpse this comet. I plan to officially start getting excited on the 27th/28th of November, this year, when I intend to be out viewing the conjunction of Saturn and Venus (less than one degree!)
The pessimism is coming out in me; does this comet pose any threat to Earth? I remember a friend telling me about this discovery, his ideas at the time were that it would be so close to the sun that it would effectively disintegrate. Can't wait to see this though, should be an amazing spectacle
Without going through and re-reading several articles, I do believe the "closest pass to Earth" figure was at something like 32,000,000 miles. So, no, on it's current orbit it poses no threat to Earth, and it would be much bigger news if it did. However, this is another shining example of how relatively little time we are given as a heads up, from the point of discovery to the point of a cometary object being in our very own back yard. Also, in regards to this specific comet, in at least one article I did glance something about a theorized possibility of it breaking apart/disintegrating on it's near approach to the Sun, so perhaps your friend is on to something Though, I believe this is a possibility with most comets that pass near to the sun, not just this particular one.