Comets
Planet Finder Catches a Comet!
Who can forget last October, when astronomers all over the world were astounded by the huge outburst of Comet Holmes?…
Comet Dust is Very Similar to Asteroids
Just so it's clear in your mind: comets are dirty snowballs, asteroids are rocks. Got the difference? Wait... not so…
Deep Impact Has a New Target
It seemed like such a shame. NASA built Deep Impact to see what happens when you smash a refrigerator-sized object…
Comet Holmes is Fading Away
For a little while there, Comet 17P/Holmes was the largest object in the Solar System, flaring up by a factor…
Finally, Hubble’s View of Comet Holmes
All right, here's the picture we've all been waiting for. Step aside ground-based observatories, papa Hubble's here with images of…
Comet Holmes is Bigger than the Sun
All right, that title is a little misleading. In fact, when I first read the original press release, my skepticism…
Rosetta Is Returning to Earth for Another Flyby
Mark your calendars for November 13th, 2007. That's the day ESA's Rosetta spacecraft will be making a close encounter with…
Detailed Images of Comet Holmes
Late last week, the normally dim Comet 17P/Holmes suddenly blazed into view, increasing in brightness by a factor of a…
Comet 17P/Holmes Erupts in the Sky
Astronomers from Europe and Asia are reporting that the normally dim Comet 17P/Holmes has had an eruption. Instead of being…
Solar Storm Tears Off a Comet’s Tail
Comets are known as dirty snowballs. As they approach the Sun, the constant solar wind picks away at their snowy…