Comets

Interstellar invader 3I/ATLAS is spraying tons of water into space every second. Jupiter-bound spacecraft JUICE discovers

By Robert Lea published 15 April 26

The Jupiter-bound spacecraft JUICE spotted the interstellar invader comet 3I/ATLAS spraying enough water into space to fill 70 swimming pools a day.

Why I'm hunting for Comet PanSTARRS right now — before it's too late

By Jamie Carter published 10 April 26

A rare long-period comet is here — here's how to find comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) before sunrise this April, with key dates, viewing tips and the best mornings to look.

Watch Comet MAPS get destroyed by cataclysmic fragmentation near the sun

By Joe Rao published 7 April 26

A dramatic breakup near the sun erased hopes of a bright comet lighting up the evening sky this week.

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS may be nearly 12 billion years old — so ancient its star system may no longer exist

By Keith Cooper published 30 March 26

Our solar system's famous "invader" might be as old as the Milky Way itself.

Hitting the brakes: Hubble Space Telescope watches doomed comet reverse its spin

By Keith Cooper published 26 March 26

The unprecedented observations of comet 41P/Tuttle–Giacobini–Kresák show its rotation slowing, reversing and then speeding up, and jet-like outbursts of gas might be providing the push.

Hubble Space Telescope accidentally witnesses comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) breaking apart

By Samantha Mathewson published 20 March 26

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured a rare cosmic moment: a comet breaking apart in real time.

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is 'bursting with methanol,' new study finds

By Samantha Mathewson published 11 March 26

The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is unusually rich in alcohol — a chemical clue that could reveal how planets and icy bodies form around other stars.

Newly discovered comet could be visible in daytime skies this April

By Joe Rao last updated 11 March 26

A newly discovered comet is rapidly brightening and could become visible from Earth — if it survives an extreme close encounter with the sun on April 4.

A risky maneuver could send a spacecraft to interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. Here's the plan

By Keith Cooper published 22 February 26

If launched in 2035, a spacecraft performing such a maneuver could fly by 3I/ATLAS by 2085.

Could the remains of a 'dead' comet still be in the solar system? Astronomers are still searching 6 years later

By Kiona N. Smith published 11 February 26

The fate of a comet that was predicted to pass close to Earth remains a mystery five years after its dramatic breakup in the inner solar system.