A quick reminder that this weekend should be decent viewing of comet ISON. It will appear just before dawn, and can be seen between the planets Saturn and Mercury. Later next week it will pass the Sun, and if it survives that encounter should be viewable again next week as begins its journey out again.

For those who are not aware, Comet ISON (also known as Comet Nevski–Novichonok) is a comet discovered in September 2012 which will graze the Sun sometime in the next week (predicted to be at its closest on November 28, 2013). There is some uncertainty though whether it will pass the Sun and leave again, or if it will get broken apart during its orbit. 

Either way, it will be interesting viewing. Some media outlets are calling this the comet of the century, and (falsely) claiming that it will be brighter than the full moon. While it won't be quite that spectacular in reality, it will still be visible to amateur astronomers and likely even to the naked eye. 

And so if you have a chance to have clear skies just before dawn over the next few days, have a look. And if not, maybe you'll have better luck when it makes its return journey in a few weeks...