comet

A comet is an icy small Solar System body (SSSB) that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma (a thin, fuzzy, temporary atmosphere) and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet. Comet nuclei range from a few hundred meters to tens of kilometers across and are composed of loose collections of ice, dust and small rocky particles. Comets have been observed since ancient times.

For more information about comet check the Wikipedia article here

ZME Science posts about comet

Dinosaur wipeout caused by comet, not asteroid – new study finds

Mon, Mar 25, 2013

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The current leading theory that explains the mass extinction of the dinosaurs – once the dominant group of animals on Earth for millions of years – states that an asteroid impact some 65 million years ago brought their demise, wiping them out along with 70% of all life on the planet. A new study, however, [...]

Amazing photos of comet PAN-STARSS. Also, anonymous donation of $3 million helps keep observation program alive

Tue, Mar 19, 2013

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This month the PAN-STARSS comet can be seen at its brightest, a truly rare event that can be witnessed in all its splendor in the skies around the world with simple magnifying tools such as binoculars. Some have reported they could see the comet with the naked eye, but if you plan on catching sight [...]

Upcoming 2013 ISON comet might be the brightest ever – set to shine as a full moon

Mon, Jan 14, 2013

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Discovered last year by Russian astronomers Vitaly Nevsky and Artyom Novichonok, the gigantic ISON comet is set to make its appearance later this year as it approaches the sun when it will become visible to the naked eye during the day, and as bright as a full moon during the night. Astronomers estimate the comet [...]

Newly discovered comet set to light up the sky in 2013

Wed, Sep 26, 2012

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Discovered just last week by a Russian team at the International Scientific Optical Network (ISON), the comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) is set to flyby less than two million miles away from the sun, unleashing a spectacle of light in the process at the end of 2013. Astronomers estimate, if it doesn’t desintegrate, that the comet [...]

The Lyrid Meteor Shower – not to be missed this weekend

Fri, Apr 20, 2012

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A moonless night might offer the best setting for the best view of the upcoming Lyrid meteor shower in years this very weekend. The best time to catch it on display will be on Saturday night, although the skyline fireball display is set to rage on well into the following morning. The Lyrids are somewhat [...]

Comet might have catastrophically collided with Earth 13,000 years ago

Wed, Mar 7, 2012

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A recently published study suggests that the Earth might have been visited by a giant space rock 13,000 years ago, an event which might have sparked an unusual cold period in the planet’s climate history. The Younger Dryas, also known as the Big Freeze, was a brief period of cold climatic conditions and drought which occurred [...]

NASA creates space harpoon to take samples from comets

Thu, Dec 15, 2011

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NASA has developed a harpoon that would make even the most pretentious pirate jealous: it can latch on to comets with surgical precision, without having to land on them. The harpoon, which measures six feet tall (almost two meters) was made out of pair of springs normally used to provide the suspension for trucks; the [...]

Half of supermassive black holes are surrounded by ‘dust clouds’

Mon, Oct 31, 2011

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Black holes are perhaps the most fascinating and staggering objects in the known Universe, and we are just now beginning to uncover their secrets. Dr. Sergei Nayakshin of the University of Leicester and his team found that doughnut-shaped dust shrouds that cover about half of supermassive black holes may very well be the result of [...]

Stunning photos of the Perseid meteor shower

Tue, Aug 16, 2011

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I was lucky enough this weekend to be away from the city and at an altitude of about 1800m, deep in the mountain side. The rare, clean atmosphere allowed for an uncanny view of the night sky, at least for an urbanite as myself, filled with the most distinguishable stellar bodies I’ve ever been granted [...]

[VIDEO] Man-sized meteor over Georgia sky

Fri, Jun 3, 2011

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In a relevant display of  NASA’s fireball-observing network capabilities, a set of automatic robotic cameras caught a man-sized meteor as it blasted though Earth’s atmosphere causing a fireball spectacle. The event took place on May 20, when the 6-foot-wide (1.8-meter) space rock entered the atmosphere at about 66 miles (106 kilometers) above the city of [...]

The most spectacular comet death ever

Fri, May 13, 2011

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  Every once in a while, the Sun gets a little hungry; in those times, it grabs on a little comet snack, and every once in a while, these ‘snacks’ are caught on tape. However, never has a comet been captured so spectacularly in its final moments as with the video released by NASA Tuesday. [...]

Comet flyby produces “stunning pictures”

Tue, Feb 15, 2011

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After six years of loneliness, this Valentine’s day was the charm for one of the veteran comet-chasing spacecrafts. As Stardust briefly met with the comet nicknamed Tempel 1, the spacecraft took dozens of pictures of the comet’s icy surface; but this was no random encounter – the purpose of it was to see how a [...]

NASA rejects Russian report: Apophis asteroid extremely unlikely to hit earth

Tue, Feb 8, 2011

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In 2004, NASA researchers identified the Apophis asteroid and after some quick calculations they states there is a chance the asteroid will hit our homey planet in 2029. A few observations and some other calculations later, they explained that that chance is extremely small for 2029, as well as other years to come. However, reports [...]

Surreal picture captures fireworks, lightning, and a comet

Fri, Jan 22, 2010

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Well, this picture is 3 years old or so, but I haven’t seen it, so I figured there’s a chance some of you guys might have missed it too. Taken in Perth, when some locals were out on the beach to see the fireworks, the picture also captures spectacular lightning, but the really amazing thing [...]

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