Astronomers just discovered a comet that could be brighter than most stars when we see it next year. Or will it?

A bright white streak in the night sky above the desert.

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

Jonti Horner is an astronomer and astrobiologist based at the University of Southern Queensland, in Toowoomba, Queensland.