Infographic: Anatomy of a Comet
Comets are cosmic snowballs, the frozen leftovers from the formation of the solar system composed of frozen gases, dust, and rock. They range in size…
Comet
ESA’s Comet Interceptor Approved for Construction
In 2019, the European Space Agency (ESA) selected Comet Interceptor as a new fast-class (F-class) mission. These missions, where “fast” refers to development speed, are…
Astronomy & Astrophysics 101: Comet
What Is a Comet? A comet is an icy, rocky mass that has passed close by the Sun within our Solar System, and has thus…
30 Exocomets Discovered in a Young Planetary System
For the past thirty years, astronomers have been fascinated with the star ß Pictoris because it allows them to observe a young planetary system in…
Don’t Miss: Full Pink Moon, a Comet, a Meteor Shower, and Other Celestial Events
The next full moon is the Pink Moon, the Sprouting Grass, Egg, or Fish Moon; the Pesach, Passover, or Paschal Moon; the Hanuman Jayanti Festival…
Hubble Confirms Largest Comet Nucleus Ever Seen – A Staggering 500 Trillion Tons Headed This Way
4-Billion-Year-Old Relic From The Early Solar System Is Headed This Way Denizens of deep space, comets are among the oldest objects in the solar system….
Distant Long-Period Comets Quickly Fade Away
As comets approach the Sun, they release gas and dust known to astronomers as cometary activity. For comets passing near or inside Earth’s orbit, this…
Unprecedented Opportunity To Investigate the Next Interstellar Visitor With the Webb Space Telescope
Scientists will learn about objects trespassing on our cosmic turf So far, only two interstellar objects have been spotted buzzing through our solar system, but…
Comet’s Devastating Explosion Over North America 1,500 Years Ago Caused Extensive Destruction
Did comet’s fiery destruction lead to downfall of ancient Hopewell? Researchers at the University of Cincinnati find evidence of cosmic cataclysm 1,500 years ago at…
Why Are Comet Heads Green – But Not Their Tails? Accidental Discovery Leads to Solution of 90-Year-Old Puzzle
An accidental discovery and a love of spectroscopic perturbations leads to the solution of a 90-year-old puzzle. In a global collaboration, a team of researchers…
We Already Have the Technology to Save Earth From a “Don’t Look Up” Asteroid
What if a 10 km (6.5 mile)-wide asteroid was on a bee-line towards Earth, with an impending, calamitous impact just six months away? This was…
Solar Orbiter Spacecraft Catches a Second Comet by the Tail
For the second time in its mission so far, the ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter spacecraft has flown through the tail of a comet. Predicted in advance…
We Asked a NASA Scientist: What’s the Difference Between Asteroids, Comets and Meteors? [Video]
What’s the difference between asteroids, comets and meteors? These space rocks each have their own unique attributes. But differences aside, these fascinating objects are all…
A Christmas Comet for Solar Orbiter: Heliospheric Imager Captures Comet Leonard
Comet Leonard, a mass of space dust, rock, and ice about a kilometer across is heading for a close pass of the Sun on 3…
Stunning Views of Comet Leonard Captured From Two Sun-Watching Spacecraft
When Comet Leonard, a mass of space dust, rock, and ice about a half-mile (1 kilometer) wide, makes its closest pass of the Sun on…
Solving a 90 Year-Old Space Mystery: Why Comets’ Heads Can Be Green, but Never Their Tails
The team solved this mystery with the help of a vacuum chamber, a lot of lasers, and one powerful cosmic reaction. Every so often, the…
How To See Comet Leonard (Before It’s Gone Forever) – According to the Researcher Who Discovered It
The brightest comet of the year, named “Leonard” after the University of Arizona researcher who discovered it, is paying one last visit to Earth’s neighborhood…
Don’t Miss: Comet Leonard May Be Visible to the Naked Eye Today
Not quite a Christmas miracle, nor the star of Bethlehem: comet Leonard is a rather typical comet going about its typical path around the Sun….
