Rosetta Orbiter Delivers First Batch of Science Data
European Space Agency’s Rosetta orbiter has delivered its first batch of science data from comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, revealing hydrogen and oxygen in the comet’s atmosphere and…
Comet News
ESA Identifies Five Candidate Landing Sites on Comet 67P
Rosetta Spacecraft data have allowed scientists to identify five candidate sites to set down the Philae lander on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in November. Using detailed information…
New Rosetta Image of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Taken by ESA’s Rosetta Spacecraft, this new image of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko shows the diversity of surface structures on the comet’s nucleus. The image was taken…
ScienceCast Video Examines the Possibility of Colliding Atmospheres between Mars and Comet Siding Spring
A new four minute ScienceCast video examines what might happen if the atmosphere of Comet Siding Spring, which is about to fly historically close to…
Rosetta Becomes the First Spacecraft to Rendezvous with a Comet
ESA’s Rosetta became the first spacecraft to rendezvous with a comet, making the historic rendezvous with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on August 6, 2014. After a decade-long…
New Images and 3D Model of Comet 67P
New images from ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft reveal surface structures of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, allowing scientists to create a 3D shape model of the nucleus. As the…
Swift Satellite Measures Water Production of Mars Bound Comet C/2013 A1
Using images from NASA’s Swift satellite, astronomers have measured the amount of water production from comet C/2013 A1. In late May, NASA’s Swift satellite imaged…
ESA’s Rosetta Spacecraft Witnesses the Awakening of the Mission’s Target Comet
European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft witnesses the awakening of the mission’s target comet. The comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, target of ESA’s Rosetta mission, has begun to develop…
ESA’s Rosetta Spacecraft Gets First Glimpse of Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Researchers use the scientific imaging system on board ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft to get the first glimpse of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko. A little more than four months…
Hubble Reveals Multiple Jets Sprouting from Comet C/2013 A1
This newly released Hubble image of comet C/2013 A1 reveals what appears to be two jets of dust coming off the location of the nucleus…
NASA’s NEOWISE Spacecraft Views Its First Comet
NASA’s NEOWISE spacecraft has spotted its first comet. Officially named “C/2014 C3 (NEOWISE),” the comet was about 143 million miles (230 million kilometers) from Earth…
NASA Preparing for Comet Siding Spring’s “Close” Flyby of Mars
Astronomers are preparing for Comet Siding Spring, which will pass Mars at a distance 10 times closer than any identified comet has ever flown past…
Hubble Captures a New Image of Comet ISON
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured a new image of Comet ISON on October 9, 2013. This new NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope picture shows C/2012 S1,…
Comet-Like Activity Discovered in Near-Earth Object Don Quixote
Using data from the Spitzer Space Telescope, CfA astronomers discover comet-like activity in Near-Earth Object Don Quixote. Near Earth Objects (NEOs) are asteroids or comets…
First Definitive Proof of a Comet Striking Earth Millions of Years Ago
A team of scientists has discovered the first definitive proof of a comet striking Earth millions of years ago. The first ever evidence of a…
Scientists Confirm that Life Really Could Have Come from Out of This World
A newly published study shows that the basic building blocks of life as we know it can be assembled anywhere in the Solar System, confirming…
Spitzer Reveals That Asteroid Don Quixote is a Comet
Data from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope helped astronomers discover that the large asteroid called Don Quixote is in fact a comet. For 30 years, a…
Astronomers Anticipate Comet ISON’s Close Flyby of Mars
This short ScienceCast video details the close encounter Comet ISON is expected to have with Mars. A new ScienceCast video anticipates Comet ISON’s close flyby…