Comets

Comets are remnants from the early days of the solar system, billions of years ago. Primarily made of ice and dust, these "dirty snowballs" orbit the sun and in habit the Oort cloud, an area in the outskirts of the solar system beyond Pluto. As comets approach the inner solar system, solar wind from the sun can sweep dust back into a long tail. When these comets are close enough to Earth, they can appear as dazzling objects in the night sky. Space probes from Earth have visited several comets to learn more about their composition. Learn more about comets, icy wanderers in the solar system.

Related Topics: Asteroids, Meteors, Shooting Stars and Fireballs, Rosetta Spacecraft, Stargazer Photos 

Latest Updates

An image of comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) taken by Miguel Claro in Portugal.

Green comet flaunts its tail in dazzling deep space photo

By Miguel Claro published

A new image from astrophotographer Miguel Claro shows a close-up view of Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) on Jan. 22, 2023 immersed in a colorful starfield.

An illustration of the night sky on Feb. 1 showing comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) at perigee.

Watch a green comet make its first Earth approach in 50,000 years today with this free webcast

By Brett Tingley published

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is making its closest approach to Earth, and you can watch it pass by without even stepping outside, thanks to a free livestream.

A photograph of comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) taken by Bob Schiff in Danville, CA.

Green comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will be closest to Earth today. Here's how to see it.

By Robert Lea published

C/2022 E3 (ZTF) hasn't been this close to Earth in 50,000 years since the last ice age and prior to the extinction of the Neanderthals.

An image of Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) as seen over Italy on Jan. 24, 2023.

The Comet Interceptor probe could visit a stunning object like the green C/2022 E3 (ZTF)

By Meghan Bartels published

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is tantalizing to spot through a telescope, but what would it look like up close?

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) with a short third tail (to the left of the comet) and longer gas and dust tails (to the right of the comet) on Jan. 21.

Optical illusion gives rare green comet an 'anti-tail' that seemingly defies physics

By Harry Baker published

C/2022 E3 (ZTF), a comet that has recently made headlines as it flies closer to Earth, briefly developed an ethereal third tail thanks to a weird optical illusion.

A photograph of comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) taken by Miguel Claro.

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) shines bright while closest to the sun in gorgeous photo

By Miguel Claro published

The image shows a close-up view of comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) during perihelion, when it was at its closest to the sun on Jan. 12, 2023.

A photo of comet C/2022 E3 ZTF taken on Dec. 26, 2022 in Payson, Arizona by Chris Schur.

How to see the green comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) visible in the night sky now as it approaches Earth

By Brett Tingley published

Look in the northern skies during the early morning hours and green comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) may be visible to the naked eye.

Austrian astrophotographer Michael Jäger captured this image of Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) showing a disconnection in its tail.

Brilliant green comet loses part of its tail to solar storm in this stunning astrophotographer photo

By Tereza Pultarova published

An image taken by an Austrian comet hunter reveals a disconnection in Comet's C/2022 E3 (ZTF) tail that may have been caused by turbulent space weather.

The image captures the movement of Comet C/2022 E3 ZTF over 3 days (Dec. 27, 28, and 29 2022) in the night sky.

See '3 days in the life' of gorgeous green comet as it heads towards Earth (photo)

By Brett Tingley published

A photo taken by Soumyadeep Mukherjee of Kolkata, India depicts what the photographer calls "Three Days in the Life of a Comet," spanning from Dec. 27 to 29, 2022.

A photo of comet C/2022 E3 ZTF taken on Dec. 26, 2022 in Payson, Arizona by Chris Schur.

Bright green comet a rare 'messenger from the outer reaches of our solar system,' astronomers say

By Brett Tingley published

Astronomers involved with the discovery of comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) are just as excited about its discovery as the public is.

Green comet in a sea of stars

A dazzling green comet not seen since the Stone Age has stargazers thrilled in these amazing photos

By Tariq Malik published

The brilliant green comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) has captivated astrophotographers and may even become visible to the unaided eye soon.

A photo of comet C/2022 E3 ZTF taken on Dec. 26, 2022 in Payson, Arizona by Chris Schur.

Rare green comet makes closest approach to the sun. How to watch it live tonight (Jan. 12).

By Robert Lea last updated

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF), which could be visible with the naked eye, will pass the sun on Thursday (Jan. 12) before approaching the Earth for the first time since the last ice age.

Comet C/2022 E3 ZTF photographed on Nov. 26, 2022 from Yellow Springs, Ohio.

Amazing photos of gorgeously green Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)

By Brett Tingley published

Comet C/2022 E3 ZTF is already putting on a show as it makes its way through our solar system.

Comet C/2022 E3 ZTF photographed on Nov. 26, 2022 from Yellow Springs, Ohio.

What time will newfound comet be closest to the sun next week?

By Brett Tingley published

Comet C/2022 E3 ZTF, just discovered in March 2022, will be making its closest approaches to both Earth and the sun in the coming weeks.

Comet C/2022 E3 ZTF photographed from Rome, Italy on Sept. 12, 2022.

Watch a comet make its closest approach in 50,000 years online next week

By Brett Tingley published

To share a view of comet C/2022 E3 ZTF at perihelion with anyone interested, the Virtual Telescope Project is hosting a free livestream starting at 11:00 p.m. EST (0400 GMT) on Jan. 12.

A photo of comet C/2022 E3 ZTF taken on Dec. 26, 2022 in Payson, Arizona by Chris Schur.

A comet not seen in 50,000 years is coming. Here's what you need to know

By Joe Rao published

On Feb. 1, comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will pass to within 28 million miles (42 million km) of our planet, its first visit in 50,000 years.

An image of the Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) taken by astrophotographer Hisayoshi Sato as seen in a still image from a NASA video.

Possible naked-eye comet will visit Earth for 1st time since Neanderthals in 2023

By Robert Lea published

The comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) could be bright enough to be spotted with the naked eye as it passes the sun and Earth at the end of the first month of 2023.

An artist's impression of a comet flying through space trailed by twin streams of gas and dust.

Massive eruption from icy volcanic comet detected in solar system

By Harry Baker published

Astronomers observed a major eruption from a volcanic comet flying through the solar system, likely spewing more than 1 million tons of debris into space.

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The top space stories of the week!

By Doris Elin Urrutia last updated

These are some of this week's top stories.

A map of the universe created by the WISE/NEOWISE mission.

Stunning time-lapse video reveals a decade in the life of the universe

By Tereza Pultarova published

NASA's WISE mission has a dramatic view of the universe based on more than a decade of research, gazing into the deep sky with infrared vision.