Astronomy, features and articles | Educational Science

Jul 21, 2016

What Would Happen If Comet Swift-Tuttle Hit the Earth?

Shooting stars may fill you with child-like wonder, but these celestial showstoppers are also reminders that Earth is hardly alone in space, and some of those cosmic objects can be downright dangerous. The Perseid meteor shower, which appears every year in mid-August, occurs when Earth passes through a trail of...

Aug 25, 2016

Rosetta Probe Gets Rare Close-Up of Comet Eruption (Video)

Europe's Rosetta spacecraft has captured dramatic imagery of a comet outburst that may have been caused by a landslide on the icy body. The outburst occurred Feb. 19 on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, which Rosetta has been orbiting since August 2014. The spacecraft observed the eruption of gas and dust with nine...

Sep 6, 2016

Philae Lander's 'Lost' Grave Found on Comet

The final resting place of the European comet lander Philae is a mystery no more. After nearly two years of searching, the lander's shadowy grave on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko has been found in images from its mothership Rosetta. The European Space Agency's Philae lander touched down on Comet 67P (as scientists...

Sep 30, 2016

Goodbye, Rosetta! Spacecraft Crash-Lands on Comet in Epic Mission Finale

DARMSTADT, Germany — For the last two years, the Rosetta spacecraft has danced around a comet. Today, it finally made contact with the icy body — and sent its last signal. The European Space Agency's (ESA) Rosetta probe ended its historic mission with a controlled descent to the surface of...

Dec 13, 2016

Sounding the Alarm: Comets Pose Threat to Earth, Too

SAN FRANCISCO — If your death-from-above musings focus solely on asteroids, you need to broaden your worried mind. Comets can also deliver a heaping helping of calamity to Earth, and scientists and policymakers alike should start taking measures to combat the threat, said Joseph Nuth, a researcher at NASA's Goddard...

Dec 30, 2016

'New Year's Eve Comet' and More: Three Flybys Will Kick Off 2017 New Year

The New Year's Eve Comet that's been streaking across the sky this December isn't the only otherworldly visitor ringing in the new year in Earth's neighborhood. Wednesday (Dec. 28), NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory tweeted a video about Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdušáková, which has been growing more prominent in the sky since Dec....

Jan 11, 2017

Hubble Spies Exocomets Diving into Young Star

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has detected several comets diving toward a young star about 95 light-years from Earth. The star, known as HD 172555, is approximately 23 million years old and represents the third extrasolar system where astronomers have detected such comets, according to a statement from NASA. They are...

Feb 9, 2017

A Strange Green Comet Is Heading Our Way

An unusual green comet reaches maximum brightness on Saturday, providing a sweet treat for early-morning risers. Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova (named after three astronomers who discovered it in 1948) travels into the inner solar system every 5.25 years. On Saturday, 45P will pass just 7.4 million miles from Earth, a stone's throw...

Feb 10, 2017

Look Up Friday! Green Comet and Snow Moon Eclipse Team Up for Skywatchers

Skywatchers this weekend will get two special, subtle treats: a penumbral lunar eclipse on Friday (Feb. 10) and a strange green comet reaching its peak viewing time the following morning. First, February's full moon — the snow moon — will pass through the edge of the Earth's shadow, which is...

May 15, 2017

Comet 67P Produces Its Own Oxygen in Deep Space

In 2015, scientists announced the detection molecular oxygen at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, which was studied by the Rosetta spacecraft. It was the biggest surprise of the mission, they said — a discovery that could change our understanding of how the solar system formed. While molecular oxygen is common on Earth, it...

Jun 12, 2017

Comet Likely Didn't Cause Bizarre 'Wow!' Signal (But Aliens Might Have)

An astronomer thinks he's pinpointed the source of a mysterious radio signal from space: a passing comet that nobody knew about. But his colleagues said they're still skeptical of the explanation, noting that comets don't emit radio waves in the right way. Antonio Paris, an astronomer at St. Petersburg College...

Dec 19, 2017

Interstellar Object 'Oumuamua Could Be a Comet in Disguise

Although it looks like an asteroid, the first interstellar object spotted passing through the solar system, called 'Oumuamua, may be more like a comet in disguise. When astronomers first spotted the oblong, tumbling interstellar object 'Oumuamua passing through the solar system in October, they were surprised — not only did...

Apr 24, 2018

The Truth Behind This Amazing Video from the Surface of a Comet

Look at this amazing GIF. That snowy-looking scene wasn't captured on Mount Everest, or in some canyon in Antarctica. That's the view from a lander on the surface of a comet. Remember Rosetta? That comet-chasing European Space Agency (ESA) probe that deployed (and accidentally bounced) its lander Philae on the...

Apr 26, 2018

The Origin Story of Rosetta Comet Is Weird, and Ends with a Rubber Ducky

The Rosetta space probe's rubber ducky comet seems likely to have emerged from a gentle kiss in the cold black of outer space. And the comet might have a secret to tell about Neptune. Comet 67P, where the European Space Agency (ESA) landed its Rosetta probe back in the summer...

Aug 6, 2018

Incredible Hulk? Nah, This Glowing, Green Light in the Night Sky Is a Comet

Editor's Note: This story was updated at 8:15 p.m. EDT. A gigantic, green-tinged comet is currently smashing its way through the night sky, leading some people to dub it the Incredible Hulk comet. Tomorrow (Aug. 7), the celestial object will make its closest approach to Earth, according to Sky and...