Search results for oort cloud

Astronomy Jun 25, 2026

Ancient stellar flyby may still be steering long-period comets today

The Gaia mission has allowed researchers to understand the motions of stars like never before, even revealing possible interactions between our solar system and nearby stars. Planetary Science Institute Senior Scientist Nathan ...

Astronomy Jan 21, 2026

Webb finds young sun-like star forging common crystals and flinging them into its outer disk

Astronomers have long sought evidence to explain why comets at the outskirts of our own solar system contain crystalline silicates, since crystals require intense heat to form and these "dirty snowballs" spend most of their ...

Space Exploration Oct 16, 2025

Two green comets shine bright. How to spot them in the night sky

Two bright green comets are streaming through the skies and are visible to skygazers in the Northern Hemisphere.

Astronomy Oct 13, 2025

ESA's Mars Express and ExoMars orbiters catch a glimpse of 3I/ATLAS

The interstellar object 3I/ATLAS has been something of a mystery ever since it graced our solar system. From all outward appearances, the object appears to be a comet that originated in another star system and was ejected ...

Planetary Sciences Sep 12, 2025

Where did the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS come from?

Comet 3I/ATLAS is the third ISO ever detected. It was discovered by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) station on 1 July 2025. It's traveling through the inner solar system at about 220,000 km/h and ...

Space Exploration Jun 27, 2025

New propulsion systems could enable a mission to Sedna

In the outer reaches of our solar system, far beyond the orbit of Pluto, lies Sedna, one of the most mysterious objects ever discovered. This reddish dwarf planet follows such an extreme orbit that it takes more than 11,000 ...

Planetary Sciences Jun 18, 2025

Stellar flybys have not altered Earth's climate in the past 56 million years, study finds

If our solar system seems stable, it's because our short lifespans make it seem that way. Earth revolves, night follows day, the moon moves through light and shadow, and the sun hangs in the sky. But in reality, everything ...

Astronomy Jun 17, 2025

Largest Oort Cloud comet ever observed reveals its secrets under ALMA's powerful gaze

A team of astronomers has made a groundbreaking discovery by detecting molecular activity in comet C/2014 UN271 (Bernardinelli-Bernstein)—the largest and second most distantly active comet ever observed from the Oort Cloud.

Astronomy Jun 3, 2025

How a new planetarium show helped scientists unlock a cosmic secret

Scientists have unlocked one of the solar system's many secrets from an unexpected source: a planetarium show opening to the public on Monday.

Planetary Sciences May 29, 2025

China's Tianwen-2 is off to collect an asteroid sample

Asteroids are the ancient remnants of our solar system's birth, rocky fragments that never formed into planets. Most of these celestial wanderers inhabit the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, where Jupiter's immense ...

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