On 16 Sunday December, comet 46P/Wirtanen will make one of the 10 closest approaches of Earth in 70 years – and you may even be able to see it without a telescope
Astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy
What would astronomy be like on Mars?
We find out what you’d be able to see if you were a Martian stargazer
Space Exploration
Can astronauts land on a comet?
Sophie Allan at the National Space Centre looks at whether astronauts can land on the surface of comets – our Solar System’s travelling space snowballs
Solar System
What path do comets follow through the Solar System?
We find out the type of route a comet takes through the solar neighbourhood
Solar System
Why do some meteorites create such huge craters?
How do space rocks make such large dents in celestial bodies?
Solar System
New mystery arises about asteroid Phaethon
The light reflected from the surface of the new-Earth asteroid is much different from what astronomers previously thought
Solar System
Interstellar visitor ‘Oumuamua is now a comet
New results indicate interstellar nomad `Oumuamua is a comet and not an asteroid
Solar System
Pluto could be a ‘giant comet’
New research into the formation of Pluto explores the idea that the dwarf planet was originally formed from ancient comets
Deep Space
How are comets made?
We take a look at how these ‘dirty snowballs’ are made
Solar System
‘Cigar-shaped’ asteroid is first interstellar visitor to our Solar System
“This thing is an oddball,” says Karen Meech of the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy who leads an international team studying this interstellar interloper
Solar System
Spacecraft sees Martian moon Phobos in a new light
NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter has gained its first look at the moon, pursuing a deeper understanding by examining it in infrared wavelengths
Solar System
Mission scientists get unexpected final image from Rosetta
There was one last surprise in store for the camera team, who managed to reconstruct the final telemetry packets into a sharp shot
Solar System
Hubble spots the farthest inbound comet so far
This frozen traveller shows the earliest signs of activity
Astronomy
NIGHT SKY: Where and when to catch the Orionid meteor shower
Be prepared for the return of the Orionids as they reach their peak
News
Slooh astronomers capture newfound comet before it disappears
The icy object had been close to the Sun since its discovery on 11 September, making it extremely difficult to observe
News
Two comets to fly safely past Earth early next week
The two space snowballs, which will make their flybys on 21 and 22 March, may be twins
News
Astronomers solve mystery of disappearing asteroids
The space rocks are thought to be destroyed in a drawn out, long hot fizzle, much farther from the Sun than previously thought
News
Juno mission breaks solar power distance record
The mission to Jupiter has broken the record to become humanity’s most distant solar-powered emissary
News
Dead “skull-shaped” comet to zip past Earth today
The object, which was considered a potentially hazardous object, will pass the Earth just 25 per cent beyond the Moon’s orbit
News
Comet Lovejoy found to release sugar and ‘500 bottles of wine’ every second
Lovejoy lived up to its name by releasing large amounts of alcohol as well as a type of sugar into space, according to new observations