Astronomy, features and articles | Educational Science

Apr 5, 2021

Interstellar interloper 2I/Borisov may be the most pristine comet ever observed

The first known interstellar comet to visit our solar system may be the most pristine ever found, never passing near a star until visiting our own, researchers say. In 2019, scientists discovered the comet 2I/Borisov as it streaked into the solar system. The comet's speed and trajectory revealed it was...

Jun 25, 2021

Never-before-seen colossal comet on a trek toward the sun

A new visitor is swinging by the solar system: a never-before-observed comet that hails from the Oort Cloud. This alien object was just designated as a comet Wednesday (June 23), only a week after astronomers first observed it as a tiny, moving dot in archival images from the Dark Energy...

Jun 27, 2021

Did a comet strike 13,000 years ago change human civilization as we know it?

Could a devastating comet impact in Earth's distant past have forever changed human civilization? Scientists think that a cluster of comet shards may have smashed into Earth's surface 13,000 years ago, in the most catastrophic impact since the Chicxulub event killed off Earth's large dinosaurs about 66 million years ago....

Jul 2, 2021

Newly found mega comet may be the largest seen in recorded history

A giant comet found far out in the solar system may be 1,000 times more massive than a typical comet, making it potentially the largest ever found in modern times. The object, officially designated a comet on June 23, is called Comet C/2014 UN271 or Bernardinelli-Bernstein after its discoverers, University...

Aug 27, 2021

Interstellar comets visit our solar system more frequently than thought

Comets from other star systems, such as 2019 Borisov, visit the sun's neighborhood more frequently than scientists had thought, a new study suggests. The study, based on data gathered as Borisov zipped by Earth at a distance of about 185 million miles (300 million kilometers) in late 2019, suggests that...

Sep 12, 2021

The 'megacomet' Bernardinelli-Bernstein is the find of a decade. Here's the discovery explained.

Even Pedro Bernardinelli and Gary Bernstein admit they're an unlikely pair of scientists to end up with a record-breaking comet named in their honor. Scientists briefly estimated that Comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein, as it's now known, was the largest such icy body identified to date, perhaps more than 100 miles (160 kilometers)...

Oct 1, 2021

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

An enormous comet — possibly the largest one ever detected — is barreling toward the inner solar system with an estimated arrival time of 10 years from now, according to new research published on the preprint server arXiv.org. The comet, known as the Bernardinelli-Bernstein comet (or C/2014 UN271, in astro-speak),...

Nov 3, 2021

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

One of the strangest comets in the solar system has been erupting with unpredictable bright outbursts since late September and nobody knows why. An international observation campaign comprising amateur and professional astronomers alike, and even the famous Hubble Space Telescope, now wants to crack the mystery. Comet 29P is a...

Nov 4, 2021

Mysterious glass in the Atacama Desert may be from an ancient exploding comet

Mysterious bits of twisted glass strewn across Chile's Atacama Desert may have originated from a large comet that exploded in Earth's atmosphere around 12,000 years ago, according to a new study. The ancient explosion — which may have been multiple back-to-back explosions — would have produced intense winds as strong...

Nov 13, 2021

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

Comet 67P, which famously hosted the first-ever cometary lander in 2014, made its closest approach to Earth on Friday (Nov. 12). The comet, which is now bright enough to observe with amateur telescopes, will not come back to our planet for the next 200 years. During its closest pass at...

Jan 6, 2022

Comet Leonard puts on a final, spectacular display with ion tail in solar wind

Comet Leonard is falling out of view, but not without putting on one last show. Discovered just a year ago, the comet, formally known as Comet C/2021 A1, made its closest approach to Earth on Dec. 12, marking the climax of a month full of prime observing opportunities. As the...

Jan 18, 2022

Climate scientist and Netflix 'Don't Look Up' director talk comet metaphors and global warming (exclusive)

The creator of Netflix's popular satire-comedy movie Don't Look Up recently spoke with a climate scientist about how the movie contributes to the conversation about global warming. The interview, exclusively released to Space.com, is a 24-minute audio conversation between filmmaker Adam McKay and Kate Marvel, an associate research scientist at...

Feb 9, 2022

Comet impact may have triggered decline of Ohio's Hopewell people 1,600 years ago

Astronomy and anthropology have blended to help determine what might have triggered the decline of a major North American society 1,600 years ago. A vibrant culture lived in the Ohio Valley from about 200 BCE to 300 CE. These people were the ancestors of many modern Native American tribes, such...

Feb 11, 2022

Largest comet ever observed bumps Hale-Bopp from pedestal

The Bernardinelli-Bernstein comet, identified in 2021, is officially the biggest comet ever observed. The new record, reported on the preprint website arXiv and now accepted for publication in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics Letters, bumps the Hale-Bopp comet from the top spot. Hale-Bopp was discovered in 1995 and became visible...

Mar 24, 2022

RIP Comet Leonard: Brightest comet to whiz past Earth in 2021 is now a blur of dust.

The brightest comet to whiz past Earth in 2021 has likely disintegrated. Comet Leonard is now nothing but a ghostly streak, having lost its nucleus, or main body, and its coma, or temporary atmosphere, according to EarthSky magazine. The comet, first noticed by planetary science researcher Gregory Leonard of the...