Activity Observed on Newly Discovered Visitor to the Outer Edges of Our Solar System
A newly discovered visitor to the outer edges of our Solar System has been shown to be the largest known comet ever, thanks to the…
Comet News
A Comet Strike 13,000 Years Ago May Have Sparked Key Shift in Human Civilization
A cluster of comet fragments believed to have hit Earth nearly 13,000 years ago may have shaped the origins of human civilization, research suggests. Possibly…
“The Line Is Getting Fuzzier” – Asteroids and Comets May Be More Similar Than We Think
As anyone who has ever tried to clean a home knows, ridding yourself of dust is a Sisyphean effort. No surface stays free of it…
Potentially Hazardous 4,000 Year Comets Can Cause Meteor Showers on Earth
Researchers report that they can detect showers from the debris in the path of comets that pass close to Earth orbit and return as infrequently…
Exploring Comet Thermal History: Observing a Burnt-Out Comet Covered With Talcum Powder
The world’s first ground-based observations of the bare nucleus of a comet nearing the end of its active life revealed that the nucleus has a…
Dalian Coherent Light Source Reveals the Origin of S2 Fragments in the Interstellar Medium
Studying the creation and evolution of sulfur-containing compounds in outer space is essential for understanding interstellar chemistry. CS2 is believed to be the most important…
Mysterious Interstellar Visitor May Be the Most Pristine Comet Ever Found
New observations with the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) indicate that the rogue comet 2I/Borisov, which is only the second and most…
Comet Catalina’s Glowing Tail Indicates Comets Delivered Carbon to Rocky Planets
In early 2016, an icy visitor from the edge of our solar system hurtled past Earth. It briefly became visible to stargazers as Comet Catalina…
Wayward Comet Makes a Temporary Stop Near Jupiter’s Asteroids
Comet Comes in from the Cold and Finds an Off-Ramp on Its Sunward Journey Long road trips can be tedious and boring. That’s why many…
What Really Killed the Dinosaurs? Harvard Researchers Say It Was a Comet – And They Believe They Know Where It Came From
New theory explains possible origin of the Armageddon-causing object. It forever changed history when it crashed into Earth about 66 million years ago. The Chicxulub…
The Comet That Killed the Dinosaurs: New Theory on Origin of the Chicxulub Impactor
It was tens of miles wide and forever changed history when it crashed into Earth about 66 million years ago. The Chicxulub impactor, as it’s…
A Small, Bright Surprise: Two Views of a Sungrazing Comet
When scientists downlinked data from Parker Solar Probe’s sixth orbit, there was a small, bright surprise waiting for them: the spacecraft’s first observation of a…
Recently Discovered Comet Seen Flying Past the Sun During Total Solar Eclipse
As Chile and Argentina witnessed the total solar eclipse on December 14, 2020, unbeknownst to skywatchers, a little tiny speck was flying past the Sun…
Arches of Chaos: New Superhighway Network Discovered to Travel Through the Solar System Much Faster
Researchers have discovered a new superhighway network to travel through the Solar System much faster than was previously possible. Such routes can drive comets and…
Fast-Moving Gas Flowing Away From Young Star Caused by Icy Comets Being Vaporized
A unique stage of planetary system evolution has been imaged by astronomers, showing fast-moving carbon monoxide gas flowing away from a star system over 400…
Researchers Discover Phosphorus – an Element Necessary for Life – in Particles Collected From a Comet
An international study led by the University of Turku discovered phosphorus and fluorine in solid dust particles collected from a comet. The finding indicates that…
Unexpected Ultraviolet Aurora Detected at a Comet by the Rosetta Spacecraft
ESA’s Rosetta mission discovers unique aurora at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Data from Southwest Research Institute-led instruments aboard ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft have helped reveal auroral emissions in…
Second Alignment Plane of Solar System Discovered After Accounting for Galactic Gravity
A study of comet motions indicates that the Solar System has a second alignment plane. Analytical investigation of the orbits of long-period comets shows that…
