comets

NASA discovers Life's Building Block in Comet

harminka — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:31:05 -0500

NASA scientists have discovered glycine, a fundamental building block of life, in samples of comet Wild 2 returned by NASA's Stardust spacecraft.

Liquid Water In Comets Discovers Possible Origin Of Life

harminka — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:59:58 -0500

Comets contained vast oceans of liquid water in their interiors during the first million years of their formation, a new study claims.

Comet Lulin Makes Nearest, Single Visit

Armen Hareyan — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 08:50:55 -0600

The first known and only visit by the flamboyant green comet, Comet Lulin, is a show that the starry heavens have not missed – even if we ourselves have trouble viewing this beauty without optical assistance and at a distance from terrestrial illuminations.

NASA's Swift Spies Comet Lulin

harminka — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 03:26:43 -0600

While waiting for high-energy outbursts and cosmic explosions, NASA's Swift Gamma-ray Explorer satellite is monitoring Comet Lulin as it closes on Earth. For the first time, astronomers are seeing simultaneous ultraviolet and X-ray images of a comet.

New comet discovered in Canada

harminka — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 11:11:56 -0500

Rob Cardinal was looking for an asteroid, but ended up finding a comet. It is the first time a comet has been discovered at the University of Calgary's Rothney Astrophysical Observatory, which is located about 35 kilometres southwest of Calgary, and only the second Canadian discovery of a comet using a Canadian telescope in nearly a decade.

Astronomers discover missing link for origin of comets

harminka — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 03:24:59 -0500

An international team of scientists that includes University of British Columbia astronomer Brett Gladman has found an unusual object whose backward and tilted orbit around the Sun may clarify the origins of certain comets.

SOHO discovers its 1,500th comet

harminka — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 04:15:21 -0500

The ESA/NASA SOHO spacecraft has just discovered its 1500th comet, making it more successful than all other comet discoverers throughout history put together. Not bad for a spacecraft that was designed as a solar physics mission.

Stardust comet dust resembles asteroid materials

harminka — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 03:40:14 -0600

Contrary to expectations for a small icy body, much of the comet dust returned by the Stardust mission formed very close to the young sun and was altered from the solar system’s early materials.

Stardust formed close to sun

harminka — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 12:57:50 -0600

Samples of the material picked up during the NASA Stardust mission indicate that parts of the comet Wild 2 actually formed in an area close to the sun.

Readinghistory of solar system in grains of comet dust

harminka — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 02:33:51 -0600

Four years ago, NASA's Stardust spacecraft chased down a comet and collected grains of dust blowing off its nucleus. When the spacecraft Comet Wild-2 returned, comet dust was shipped to scientists all over the world, including University of Minnesota physics professor Bob Pepin.

Hubble zooms in on heart of mystery comet

harminka — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 11:31:38 -0600

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has probed the bright core of Comet 17P/Holmes which, to the delight of sky watchers, mysteriously brightened by nearly a million-fold in a 24-hour period beginning October 23, 2007.

Rosetta closes in on Earth – second time

harminka — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 08:02:10 -0600

ESA’s comet chaser, Rosetta, is on its way to its second close encounter with Earth on 13 November. The spacecraft’s operators are leaving no stones unturned to make sure Earth’s gravity gives it the exact boost it needs en route to its destination.