Comets

Latest about Comets

Comet Leonard visible in an image captured by a small Chinese satellite on a backdrop of polar lights.

Comet Leonard shines amid aurora and meteor shower in stunning footage by Chinese spacecraft

By Andrew Jones published

Comet Leonard shines brightly in images captured by a small Chinese satellite on the backdrop of aurora and passing meteors.

Comets
Astrophotographer Chris Schur captured this stunning photo of Comet Leonard on Dec. 4, 2021 from Payson, Arizona using a 10-inch Newtonian telescope and 60-minute camera exposure.

Comet Leonard's discoverer explains how the unusual object was found

By Samantha Mathewson published

Discovered nearly a year ago, Comet Leonard is on its final tour of Earth's neighborhood, lighting up the night sky for viewers this holiday season.

Comets
NASA's STEREO-A satellite captured this view of Comet Leonard on Dec. 14, 2021.

'Outbursts' from Comet Leonard spotted by NASA satellite (video)

By Rahul Rao published

NASA's STEREO-A satellite caught this view of Comet Leonard as it continued to streak into the inner solar system in December.

Comets
Comet Leonard shines bright in this image from the European Space Agency's Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre using the Calar Alto Schmidt telescope in Spain. It was created by stacking 90 5-second exposure images of the comet taken on Dec. 7, 2021 on top of each other.

Comet Leonard, the brightest of the year, is fading and acting strange

By Meghan Bartels last updated

Something strange is happening to skywatchers' most anticipated comet of the year.

Comets
An artist's depiction of Comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein.

Giant comet was active way farther from the sun than expected, scientists confirm

By Samantha Mathewson published

One of the largest comets ever discovered was active long before scientists had expected, according to NASA's industrious planet-hunting telescope.

Comets
Comet 67P, the famous target of the Rosetta mission, has made its closest approach to Earth in November 2021.

Rosetta's 'rubber ducky' comet makes closest approach to Earth, will disappear for 200 years

By Tereza Pultarova published

Comet 67P, which famously hosted the first-ever cometary lander in 2014, made its closest approach to Earth on Friday (Nov. 12).

Comets
Dark silicate glass is seen against the Atacama Desert in northern Chile.

Massive comet exploding over Chile 12,000 years ago may have created strange glassy rocks

By Meghan Bartels published

Be grateful you weren't in what is now Chile's Atacama Desert 12,000 years ago.

Comets
An image of Comet 29P taken a few days after one of its super-outbursts.

This mysterious comet's super-bright outbursts have astronomers puzzled

By Tereza Pultarova published

One of the strangest comets in the solar system has been erupting with unpredictable bright outbursts since late September and nobody knows why.

Comets
AN illustration of the massive comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein

After 3.5 million-year hiatus, the largest comet ever discovered is headed our way

By Brandon Specktor published

Scientists have analyzed the enormous Bernardinelli-Bernstein comet, and predict it will come within 11 AU of Earth in the next 10 years.

Comets
Since there aren't any images of the Greenland fireball, here's an illustration of a space rock burning up as it enters Earth's atmosphere.

32,000 mph fireball spotted soaring over North Carolina

By Ben Turner published

The fireball’s bright streak was captured by a neighborhood porch camera.

Comets
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