The explosive, city-size “devil comet” that is due to fly past Earth later this year has a hidden spiral of light surrounding its gigantic icy heart, new images show. This glowing green swirl would likely have remained undetected without a bit of photo wizardry. The comet, named 12P/Pons-Brooks (12P), is a 10.5 mile-wide (17 kilometers) […]
Read MoreTag: Comets
Can you capture the comet’s tail? Scientists need help from astrophotographers
Researchers are calling on amateur astronomers to help photograph the broken tail of a comet on track to pass by Earth this spring. The comet, named C/2021 S3 PanSTARRS, will safely pass by Earth at about the same distance the sun sits from our planet. And as the comet passes through our solar system, its […]
Read MoreIt’s been a ‘wild’ ride for the comet sampled by NASA’s Stardust mission
The first comet sample-return mission is still revealing secrets about its icy target — even 18 years after bringing to Earth a precious cargo for scientists to dissect. After launching in 1999, NASA’s Stardust mission rendezvoused with the comet named 81P/Wild 2 (81P/ means it was the 81st periodic comet to be recognized) in 2004, […]
Read MoreHalley’s Comet begins its 38-year journey back toward Earth tonight
Beginning on Friday, Dec. 8 we can finally state with absolute certainty that Halley’s Comet is coming. This most famous of all comets travels around the sun in a flattened elliptical orbit that brings it near to the sun and then takes it far out to beyond the outer limits of the solar system. Ever […]
Read MoreMighty morphin’ Centaur rings — a distant icy object’s rings are transforming
A bizarre object that sometimes gets as close to the sun as Saturn, and other times retreats as far out as Uranus, has been discovered to have a transforming disk of dust around it that changes shape and can even mimic rings. Minor planet 2060 Chiron is what’s known as a Centaur, which are captured […]
Read MoreCity-size ‘devil comet’ headed for Earth loses its iconic horns and turns green after latest volcanic eruption
The massive volcanic “devil comet,” that is racing toward the sun may have lost the distinctive horns that earned it its sinister nickname. Last week, after the comet’s latest and most violent outburst yet, its trademark head spikes did not appear as they did after previous eruptions. But astronomers have spotted several new characteristics of […]
Read More‘Devil Comet’ 12P/Pons-Brooks is approaching Earth. Why is it flaring up, ‘horns’ and all?
Thus far 2023 has not had much to offer in terms of any bright comets. Apart from the much-ballyhooed green comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) in January and comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) in September, which were both either faint or poorly placed, there has been nothing that has been readily visible either with just a simple pair […]
Read MoreVolcanic ‘Devil Comet’ erupts with its biggest blast yet as it races toward Earth
An icy volcanic comet, nicknamed the “Devil Comet”, erupted for the fourth time Tuesday (Nov. 14) as it races toward Earth. The comet, officially called 12P/Pons-Brooks, violently blasted out ice and gas and created a glowing halo that resembles devil horns. This is the largest outburst yet for the Devil Comet, which at 18 miles […]
Read MoreHow and When to Watch the Leonids Meteor Shower Peak
On any given night, far from bright city lights, there’s a chance that you’ll see a beautiful streak shoot across the sky as a meteor flies overhead. But on special dates scattered throughout the year, skywatchers can catch a multitude of flares as meteor showers burst in the darkness. The next event is the Leonids, […]
Read MoreComets that ‘bounce’ from planet to planet could spread life across the universe
Scientists suspect that comets may have delivered the organic ingredients necessary to cook up life on Earth, and new research shows how exoplanets could have received these special deliveries from comets, too. In its early history, Earth was bombarded with impacts from asteroids, comets and other cosmic bodies leftover from the formation of the solar […]
Read MoreVolcanic ‘devil comet’ resprouts its horns after erupting again
A volcanic “devil comet” that is racing toward Earth erupted again on Halloween, causing it to regrow its distinctive “horns.” The latest outburst, which was the second within a month and the third since July, is a reminder that the comet is becoming more volcanically active as it continues its journey toward the heart of […]
Read MoreA newly discovered comet will shine bright in the Hercules constellation tonight. Here’s how to see it
A relatively newly discovered comet is set to reach its brightest point over Earth during its 2023 appearance tonight. The brightening of comet C/2023 H2 (Lemmon) will happen on Friday (Nov. 10) because this is when the icy traveler is set to reach its closest point to Earth — its perigee. At this time, it […]
Read MoreHow and When to Watch the Orionids Meteor Shower Peak
On any given night, far from bright city lights, there’s a chance that you’ll see a beautiful streak shoot across the sky as a meteor flies overhead. But on special dates scattered throughout the year, skywatchers can catch a multitude of flares as meteor showers burst in the darkness. The next event is the Orionids, […]
Read MoreCity-size comet regrows ‘horns’ after massive volcanic eruption
An enormous volcanic comet the size of a small city has violently exploded for the second time in four months as it hurtles toward the sun. And just like the previous eruption, the cloud of ice and gas emitted what looked like a gigantic pair of horns. The comet, named 12P/Pons-Brooks, is a cryovolcanic — […]
Read MoreSee green comet Nishimura’s tail get whipped away by powerful solar storm as it slingshots around the sun (video)
The recently discovered green comet Nishimura has been body slammed by a potential coronal mass ejection (CME) after surviving a close encounter with the sun. The unexpected collision, which briefly blew away the comet’s tail, was caught on camera by a NASA spacecraft. In footage captured by NASA’s Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO-A) spacecraft, the […]
Read MoreGreen comet Nishimura survives its superheated slingshot around the sun. Will we get another chance to see it?
A recently discovered green comet, named Nishimura, has survived its close encounter with the sun and begun its journey back into the outer reaches of the solar system. Once gone, it won’t return for around 430 years. But it could be visible over the next few weeks, depending on where you live. Comet Nishimura, also […]
Read MoreComet Nishimura photobombs NASA spacecraft after its close encounter with the sun (photos)
The recently discovered Comet Nishimura has surprised scientists by photobombing a NASA spacecraft as it took images of the sun. Comet Nishimura, also known as C/2023 P1, which appears to have recently survived a close encounter with the sun, was seen by one of two Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft — STEREO-A — as it […]
Read MoreA Fireball Whacked Into Jupiter, and Astronomers Got It on Video
Ko Arimatsu, an astronomer at Kyoto University in Japan, received an intriguing email a couple of weeks ago: An amateur astronomer in his country had spotted a bright flash in Jupiter’s atmosphere. Dr. Arimatsu, who runs an observation program to study the outer solar system using backyard astronomy equipment, put out a call for more […]
Read MoreComet Nishimura: How and When to See It This Weekend
Astronomy aficionados are buzzing about a bright new comet. The ball of dust and ice is formally named C/2023 P1, but is also called Comet Nishimura, for Hideo Nishimura, the Japanese photographer who first spotted it. And you may have an opportunity to see it as well during the next few nights. How was the […]
Read More