Comets
Latest about Comets
![a comet](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nqsMkEYo6duUrcbyH5nhLY-320-80.png)
Why is Comet K2 so hard to see given its huge size?
By Elizabeth Howell published
As a huge comet makes its closest approach to Earth on July 13, you might be curious why it's so hard to spot.
![Comet C/2017 K2 PANSTARRS was captured on June 18, 2022 in constellation Ophiuchus, at magnitude 9.7.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ShRYNBAHfcqofpv2XtoFHe-320-80.jpg)
Megacomet K2 caught on camera cruising through celestial equator
By Elizabeth Howell published
A megacomet glows in the dark in this long-exposure image captured by an astrophotographer on June 18, before its closest approach to Earth.
![Steve Gale (pilot) and Gail Iles (right) next to the Marchetti jet.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JxxxGRhSwUfHwTbs25JrZ7-320-80.jpeg)
Australia just flew its own 'vomit comet.' It's a big deal for zero-gravity space research
By Gail Iles published
As Australia's space program begins to take off, parabolic flights like these will be in high demand.
![A painting of the Leonid meteor storm of 1833 over the Niagra Falls by Edmund Weiß in 1888.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cku95TXca9CWHCFpj3RqLL-320-80.jpg)
Fragments of a dying comet might put on a spectacular show — or pass by without a trace
By Jonti Horner, Tanya Hill last updated
Occasionally, Earth runs through a particularly narrow, dense clump of debris, resulting in a meteor storm.
![Observations of debris generated by the 2007 outburst of comet 17P/Holmes made in February 2015.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/T5Dp82CCeJVjdAHojRrEah-320-80.jpg)
Debris from the most spectacular comet outburst ever could thrill skywatchers in August
By Tereza Pultarova published
Dust particles produced by the largest comet outburst ever detected will be visible even to amateur ground-based telescopes this summer, a study found.
![An artist's impression of comets hurtling towards Beta Pictoris.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qkEHrTbjocdDUdhe4z5S4U-320-80.jpg)
Largest treasure trove of exocomets to date found in alien solar system
By Keith Cooper published
Thirty alien comets have been spotted transiting the young star Beta Pictoris, their long tails lighting up the skies of the fledgling planets forming there.
![Hale-Bopp comet is regarded as one of the most viewed comets in history.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uNEqGzdW2VDuZrvGKrYKMY-320-80.jpg)
Comet Hale-Bopp: Facts about the bright and tragic comet
By Elizabeth Howell, Daisy Dobrijevic last updated
Reference Hale-Bopp was an unusually bright comet that flew close to Earth in 1997. Tragically, Hale-Bopp also influenced the Heaven's Gate cult's mass suicide.
![Returning comets fade even when they don't approach the sun, a new study found.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FNWaYctoibCcrDjgYgdzgn-320-80.jpg)
Comets fade even as deep in space as Saturn's orbit, scientists find
By Elizabeth Howell last updated
When comets first appear near Earth, their bright tails of ionized gas stun observers, but on every subsequent return, they become dimmer.
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