Comets
New ‘Sun-Skirting’ Comet Could Provide Dazzling Display in 2013
2013 is looking to be a promising year for potential naked-eye comets, as a new comet has been discovered that…
Comet Pan-STARRS: How Bright Will it Get?
Comet PanSTARRS on September 4, 2012 as seen from Puerto Rico. Credit: Efrain Morales/Jaicoa Observatory. Early next year, a comet…
Asteroid Lutetia Flyby Animation
In today's Weekly Space Hangout, Emily Lakdawalla from the Planetary Society mentioned an animation of recently released images from the…
Frantic Comet Massacre Taking Place at Fomalhaut
[/caption] There may be some frantic activity going on in the narrow, dusty disk surrounding a nearby star named Fomalhaut.…
Getting a Handle on How Much Cosmic Dust Hits Earth
[/caption] Does Earth have a dust build-up problem? Estimates vary of how much cosmic dust and meteorites enter Earth’s atmosphere…
So Long, SWAN…
Remember that newly-discovered comet we mentioned a couple of days ago? Well, it's gone. Poof. Into the Sun and never…
A New Comet’s SWAN Dive Into the Sun
[/caption] A new comet has been discovered by the SOHO team, and it -- like Lovejoy before it, almost three…
How Did Comet Lovejoy Survive Its Trip Around The Sun?
[/caption] It was just about three months ago that the astronomy world watched in awe as the recently-discovered comet Lovejoy…
Mexican Lake Bears Witness To Ancient Impact
[/caption] Exotic sediments found beneath the floor of Lake Cuitzeo in central Mexico support theories of a major cosmic impact…
New Comet Discovered by Amateur Astronomer
[/caption] "Friday, February 10th 2012 just felt like the perfect night for a comet to be discovered by an amateur…