Search results for comets

Planetary Sciences Apr 16, 2026

Methane emerges from interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it exits the solar system

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is now on its way out of our solar system, never to return. The comet was only the third-ever detected object to originate from outside our solar system. Traveling at high speeds, it looped around ...

Planetary Sciences Apr 15, 2026

Subaru telescope captures comet 3I/ATLAS composition change

The Subaru Telescope observed the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS on January 7, 2026, after it made its closest approach to the sun. By observing colors in the coma around the comet, astronomers could estimate the ratio of carbon ...

Planetary Sciences Apr 13, 2026

The sun is tearing an asteroid to pieces, and Earth is now flying through the fallout

Across Earth, every night, thousands of automated stargazers are waiting to take pictures of shooting stars. I am one of the scientists who study these meteors.

Space Exploration Apr 12, 2026

JAXA plans to bring back pristine early solar system samples from a comet

Japan's space agency, JAXA, has been knocking it out of the park with small-body exploration missions for decades. They had historic successes with both Hayabusa and Hayabusa2, and they are going to visit the Martian moons ...

Planetary Sciences Mar 26, 2026

Hubble detects first-ever spin reversal of tiny comet

Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have found evidence that the spinning of a small comet slowed and then reversed its direction of rotation, offering a dramatic example of how volatile activity can affect the ...

Astronomy Mar 18, 2026

NASA's Hubble unexpectedly catches comet breaking up

In a happy twist of fate, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope witnessed a comet in the act of breaking apart. The chance of that happening while Hubble watched is extraordinarily minuscule. The findings are published in the journal ...

Astronomy Mar 9, 2026

An interstellar comet packed with alcohol? What ALMA found in 3I/ATLAS

Comet 3I/ATLAS continues to make astonishing headlines, thanks to new findings from astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). This new research reveals that 3I/ATLAS is packed with an unusually ...

Astronomy Feb 27, 2026

Image: First glimpse of comet 3I/ATLAS from Juice science camera

This striking image from the science camera on ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) shows interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS spewing dust and gas. The tiny nucleus of the comet (not visible) is surrounded by a bright halo of ...

Planetary Sciences Feb 12, 2026

Jupiter-family comet 41P/TGK slows down and reverses spin after perihelion

New analysis on 2017 Hubble images of the Jupiter-family comet, 41P/Tuttle–Giacobini–Kresak (41P/TGK), indicates that the comet underwent a spin reversal between April and December 2017. While this behavior is not unheard ...

Astronomy Feb 5, 2026

A new comet was just discovered. Will it be visible in broad daylight?

A newly discovered comet has astronomers excited, with the potential to be a spectacular sight in early April. C/2026 A1 (MAPS) was spotted by a team of four amateur astronomers with a remotely operated telescope in the Atacama ...

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