Comets
Comets Already Grow a Coma out in the Kuiper Belt
Just when do comets get their signature coma? Conventional wisdom says it only happens when they get close enough to…
Jupiter has Added a Comet to its Trojan Collection
Jupiter is notorious for capturing objects that venture too close to the gas giant and its enormous pull of gravity.…
Did a Comet Wipe out the Dinosaurs?
About 66 million years ago a massive chunk of rock slammed into Earth in what is the modern-day Yucatan Peninsula.…
Comet Records From 1240 Accurately Date When a Byzantine Princess Died
Rome was the world's first mega-empire. At its height it stretched from Western Europe to the Middle East, and over…
Solid Phosphorus has been Found in Comets. This Means They Contain All the Raw Elements for Life
Did comets deliver the elements essential for life on Earth? It's looking more and more like they could have. At…
One of the Building Blocks of Life Can Form in the Harsh Environment of Deep Space Itself. No Star Required
In many ways, stars are the engines of creation. Their energy drives a whole host of processes necessary for life.…
The Solar System has a second plane where objects orbit the Sun
Almost all the objects orbiting the sun live in a particular plane, called the ecliptic plane. But a recent analysis…
Okay, New Idea. Oumuamua is an Interstellar “Dust Bunny”
Explaining the concept of a dust bunny to small children can be quite amusing. No, it’s not actually alive. It’s…
Everyone Took Pictures of Comet NEOWISE, Including Hubble
This summer we were (finally) treated to a spectacular, naked-eye comet, C/2020 F3 NEOWISE. And while seeing it with our…
Parker Solar Probe Gives a Unique Perspective on Comet NEOWISE
Comet watchers have enjoying the newly-discovered NEOWISE comet since it was first spotted in March 2020. Now that it's visible…