Catch a Comet - No Telescope Required

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Oct 31, 2007 | 4.3 / 5 (13) | 0

Usually comets are challenging little no-see-um fuzzballs. To see one often requires a dark sky, a good chart or a telescope that can "go-to" the object automatically.

'Ultra-primitive' particles found in comet dust

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 02, 2009 | 4.9 / 5 (9) | 2

Dust samples collected by high-flying aircraft in the upper atmosphere have yielded an unexpectedly rich trove of relicts from the ancient cosmos, report scientists from the Carnegie Institution. The stratospheric ...

Stardust Logs A Decade Under The Stars

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Feb 09, 2009 | 4 / 5 (1) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Saturday, Feb. 7, marked the 10th anniversary of the launch of NASA's well-traveled Stardust spacecraft.

U of M physicist reads the history of the solar system in grains of comet dust

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Jan 03, 2008 | 3.9 / 5 (18) | 3

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 ...

Comet particles provide glimpse of solar system's birth spasms

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 17, 2008 | 3.8 / 5 (6) | 0

Scientists are tracking the violent convulsions in the giant cloud of gas and dust that gave birth to the solar system 4.5 billion years ago via a few tiny particles from comet Wild 2.

Orionids Meteor Shower Lights Up the Sky

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Oct 21, 2009 | 4 / 5 (4) | 0

Earth is currently passing through a stream of debris from Halley's Comet, lighting up the night sky with the "fireworks" of the annual Orionids meteor shower.

A comet’s tale at Diamond

Physics / Condensed Matter

Sep 09, 2008 | 4.4 / 5 (5) | 0

A new picture of the composition of comets is emerging with the help of 21st century technology available at Diamond, the UK’s national synchrotron light source, in Oxfordshire.

Comet probes reveal evidence of origin of life, scientists claim

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Aug 14, 2007 | 4.3 / 5 (48) | 0

Recent probes inside comets show it is overwhelmingly likely that life began in space, according to a new paper by Cardiff University scientists.

Stardust comet dust resembles asteroid materials

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Jan 24, 2008 | 4.6 / 5 (17) | 2

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 Finds A Gem Of A Space Particle

Space & Earth /

Feb 28, 2006 | 4.8 / 5 (11) | 0

This image shows a comet particle collected by NASA's Stardust spacecraft. The particle consists of the silicate mineral forsterite, also known as peridot in its gem form. It is surrounded by a thin rim of ...

Mini-Comets within a comet lit up 17P/Holmes during megaoutburst

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Sep 16, 2009 | 4.5 / 5 (2) | 1

Astronomers from the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Hawaii have discovered multiple fragments ejected during the largest cometary outburst ever witnessed. Images and animations ...

First discovery of life's building block in comet made

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Aug 17, 2009 | 4.6 / 5 (18) | 13

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

Scientist uncovers relics of ancient cosmos

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Dec 14, 2009 | 4.5 / 5 (18) | 3

(PhysOrg.com) -- A University of Manchester scientist, working as part of an international team, has uncovered an unexpectedly rich trove of relicts from the ancient cosmos.

Stargazers to be offered a good glimpse of comet

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Feb 23, 2009 | 4.5 / 5 (2) | 1

A green-tinged comet is now buzzing by Earth, and the best chance to see this space oddball might be Monday night.

Rosetta's final Earth boost

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 04, 2009 | not rated yet | 0

ESA's comet chaser Rosetta will swing by Earth for the last time on 13 November to pick up energy and begin the final leg of its 10-year journey to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. ESA's European Space Operations ...