Shown here, in the November 1973 issue of Popular Science, is an artist’s conception of what Comet Kohoutek was going to look like in early 1974. According to the magazine, the comet was going to be the “Sky Spectacular of the Century” as it made its way from the Oort Cloud , close to the sun, and within view of the Earth.

It was going to be a big deal. William Safire wrote in the New York Times:

A hundred years from now, how will our great, great grandchildren remember 1973? In a future age, when the names of Nixon and Brezhnev are dimly remembered, and those of Ervin and Mitchell and Dean are minor footnotes in scholarly treatises, the name and the discovery that will illuminate the 1973 will be Lubos Kohoutek (the Czech astronomer who discovered the comet).

This magazine, and many other media outlets, gave numerous pointers on how to view this celestial event.  Unfortunately, the comet’s path close to the sun proved to be its downfall, and despite the hype, it was barely visible.