Comet Y4 ATLAS Breaks Up...Enter Comet F8 SWAN

By David Dickinson - April 15, 2020 09:59 AM UTC | Planetary Science
When it comes to comets, the only thing that is certain is the orbit. Though the cosmos has yet to send us a really bright comet for 2020 to keep us occupied during the ongoing worldwide pandemic and lock down, it has sent us a steady stream of descent binocular comets, including C/2017 T2 PanSTARRS, C/2019 Y1 ATLAS, and C/2019 Y4 ATLAS. And though Y4 ATLAS won't be match the "Comet of the Century" hype, another interesting binocular comet has just made its presence known over the past weekend: C/2020 F8 SWAN.
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Study Finds Bizarre Exoplanet Orbits for Binary Stars

By David Dickinson - April 08, 2020 10:40 AM UTC | Exoplanets
There's an iconic scene in the original Star Wars movie where Luke Skywalker looks out over the desert landscape of Tatooine at the amazing spectacle of a double sunset. Now, a new study out of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) suggests that such far-flung exoplanet worlds orbiting multiple stars may exist in misaligned orbits, far out of the primary orbital plane.
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Following Comet Y1 ATLAS: the 'Lost Comet' of Spring

By David Dickinson - March 25, 2020 11:10 AM UTC | Planetary Science
Got clear skies? If you're like us, you've been putting the recent pandemic-induced exile to productive use, and got out under the nighttime sky. And though 2020 has yet to offer up a good bright 'Comet of the Century' to keep us entertained, there have been a steady stream of good binocular comets for northern hemisphere viewers, including C/2017 T2 PanSTARRS and C/2019 Y4 ATLAS. This week, I'd like to turn your attention to another good binocular comet that is currently at its peak: the 'other' comet ATLAS, C/2019 Y1 ATLAS.
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