Capturing a comet's tail to keep Earth safe from the sun
A comet is set to pass by Earth this spring, and it may be missing its tail.
A comet is set to pass by Earth this spring, and it may be missing its tail.
Astronomy
Feb 20, 2024
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Jupiter is our solar system's undisputed king of the planets. Jupiter is bright and easy to spot from our vantage point on Earth, helped by its massive size and banded, reflective cloud tops. Jupiter even possesses moons ...
Planetary Sciences
Feb 15, 2024
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Eighteen years after NASA's Stardust mission returned to Earth with the first samples from a known comet, the true nature of that icy object is coming into focus.
Planetary Sciences
Jan 16, 2024
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A rapid reshaping of orbits resulting from a close encounter with Jupiter or Saturn can lead Centaurs to exhibit comet-like activity, according to a Planetary Science Institute Senior Scientist Eva Lilly paper.
Astronomy
Jan 9, 2024
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The asteroid and comet-hunting infrared space telescope has gathered an impressive haul of observations, but it's now at the mercy of the sun, which is accelerating its demise.
Astronomy
Dec 14, 2023
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12
The most famous comet of all is headed back toward Earth. Halley's comet reached aphelion—its farthest point from the sun—on Dec. 8, at which point it began its long journey back to the sun.
Planetary Sciences
Dec 12, 2023
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891
It's lonely out there in the frozen outer solar system. On Saturday, December 9th, that most famous of all comets 1P/Halley reaches a hallmark point on its 75-year journey through the solar system, reaching aphelion or its ...
Astronomy
Dec 7, 2023
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How did the molecular building blocks for life end up on Earth? One long-standing theory is that they could have been delivered by comets. Now, researchers from the University of Cambridge have shown how comets could deposit ...
Astrobiology
Nov 14, 2023
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214
A team of space scientists, astronomers and astrophysicists affiliated with multiple institutions across the U.S., working with a colleague from Italy, has determined that a celestial object spotted by citizen scientists ...
They reveal the origin of wine, the age of bones and fossils, and they serve as diagnostic tools in medicine. Isotopes and isotopologues—molecules that differ only in the composition of their isotopes—also play an increasingly ...
Astronomy
Nov 7, 2023
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