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Scientists Propose Space Missions to Chase Down Interstellar Comets
A Southwest Research Institute study reveals that chasing interstellar comets like 3I/ATLAS is achievable with current rockets and instruments. Such missions could collect data on comet nuclei and comae, providing clues to the formation of other star systems. International collaborations make these rare, high-value missions increasingly realistic.
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Newly Discovered Comet Lemmon Could Soon Be Visible With Binoculars
Astronomers discovered Comet Lemmon (C/2025 A6) in January, and it could soon become visible to skywatchers. Passing closest to Earth on October 20, 2025, the comet may brighten to binocular range or possibly to the naked eye. Its evolving coma and tail promise an exciting celestial show.
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Exoplanets Explained: How Astronomers Find Worlds Orbiting Stars Beyond the Sun
Exoplanets are planets orbiting stars outside our solar system, hidden by stellar glare and detected indirectly. Astronomers identify them by tracking star wobbles or dips in brightness during planetary transits. NASA’s Kepler mission revealed thousands, with TESS now expanding the search. These discoveries confirm that planetary systems are abun...
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Asteroids vs Comets vs Meteors vs Meteorites: What Are They and How Are They Different From Each Other?
Asteroids, comets, meteoroids, meteors, and meteorites may seem similar, but each plays a unique role in the Solar System. Asteroids are rocky remnants, comets are icy wanderers, meteors are shooting stars, and meteorites are fragments that survive the plunge to Earth.
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NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Mission Finds Stardust in Asteroid Bennu Older Than the Solar System
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission has found presolar stardust grains inside Bennu’s samples. These tiny particles, older than the Sun, carry chemical fingerprints of ancient stars and interstellar space. Bennu thus serves as a pristine time capsule, preserving the earliest clues to the birth of our solar system.
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Breakthrough Photo: See The 'Birth' Of A Planet For The Very First Time
A team of astronomers has detected for the first time a planet outside our solar system, embedded in a cleared gap of a multi-ringed disc.
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Astronomers Capture Sharpest-Ever Solar Flare Images with NSF’s DKIST Telescope
Astronomers have achieved a major breakthrough by capturing the sharpest images of a solar flare ever recorded, using the National Science Foundation’s Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST). Observed at the hydrogen-alpha wavelength during the decay of an X1.3-class solar flare, the images unveiled hundreds of ultra-fine coronal loops averagin...
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James Webb Detects Carbon Dioxide–Dominated Coma in Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS
The James Webb Space Telescope observed 3I/ATLAS, the third interstellar object detected in our solar system. Its coma is unusually rich in carbon dioxide with little water or carbon monoxide, suggesting a COâ‚‚-rich core or an insulating crust. Findings raise new questions about its cosmic origin.
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NASA Launches AI Model To Understand Solar Eruptions, Predict Space Weather
NASA is raising the bar in solar science with the debut of the Surya Heliophysics Foundational Model, an artificial intelligence system built to decode the Sun's complex behavior.
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Mercury Has Shrunk by Several Kilometers Over Billions of Years, Scientists Report
Mercury’s surface reveals it has been shrinking for billions of years due to cooling and faulting. A new study estimates the planet’s radius has contracted by 2.7–5.6 kilometers, offering the most precise figures yet. The findings sharpen understanding of Mercury’s thermal evolution and could help scientists apply the same techniques to tec...
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Cosmic Visitor: 4.56-Billion-Year-Old Meteorite Strikes into Georgia Home
On June 26, 2025, a dazzling daytime fireball streaked over Georgia, captured by satellites and witnessed across multiple states. A surviving fragment smashed through the roof of a McDonough home, denting the wooden floor 14 feet below. Scientists at the University of Georgia analyzed about 23 grams of this ancient rock, determining it to be a 4.56...
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NASA Shares New Details About Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS That's Hurtling Towards Earth
Hubble also captured a dust plume ejected from the Sun-warmed side of the comet and a hint of a dust tail streaming away from the nucleus.
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Hubble Delivers Best View Yet of Rare Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Racing Through Solar System
Hubble has captured its sharpest image of 3I/ATLAS, a rare interstellar comet speeding through the solar system at 130,000 mph. The view reveals a dust-filled coma, a faint tail, and activity similar to native comets. Astronomers aim to study its composition before it vanishes forever, offering insight into objects formed around other stars.
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James Webb Telescope Detects Potential Gas Giant Exoplanet Just 4 Light-Years Away
Astronomers using JWST have spotted a possible gas giant orbiting Alpha Centauri A, only 4 light-years away. If confirmed, it would be the closest exoplanet to a Sun-like star ever imaged. The discovery could challenge current models of planetary formation in binary systems and open new opportunities for studying nearby worlds.
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Hubble Takes Best Picture Yet Of Comet From Another Solar System
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured the best picture yet of a high-speed comet visiting our solar system from another star.
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Scientists Propose Space Missions to Chase Down Interstellar Comets
A Southwest Research Institute study reveals that chasing interstellar comets like 3I/ATLAS is achievable with current rockets and instruments. Such missions could collect data on comet nuclei and comae, providing clues to the formation of other star systems. International collaborations make these rare, high-value missions increasingly realistic.
-
Newly Discovered Comet Lemmon Could Soon Be Visible With Binoculars
Astronomers discovered Comet Lemmon (C/2025 A6) in January, and it could soon become visible to skywatchers. Passing closest to Earth on October 20, 2025, the comet may brighten to binocular range or possibly to the naked eye. Its evolving coma and tail promise an exciting celestial show.
-
Exoplanets Explained: How Astronomers Find Worlds Orbiting Stars Beyond the Sun
Exoplanets are planets orbiting stars outside our solar system, hidden by stellar glare and detected indirectly. Astronomers identify them by tracking star wobbles or dips in brightness during planetary transits. NASA’s Kepler mission revealed thousands, with TESS now expanding the search. These discoveries confirm that planetary systems are abun...
-
Asteroids vs Comets vs Meteors vs Meteorites: What Are They and How Are They Different From Each Other?
Asteroids, comets, meteoroids, meteors, and meteorites may seem similar, but each plays a unique role in the Solar System. Asteroids are rocky remnants, comets are icy wanderers, meteors are shooting stars, and meteorites are fragments that survive the plunge to Earth.
-
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Mission Finds Stardust in Asteroid Bennu Older Than the Solar System
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission has found presolar stardust grains inside Bennu’s samples. These tiny particles, older than the Sun, carry chemical fingerprints of ancient stars and interstellar space. Bennu thus serves as a pristine time capsule, preserving the earliest clues to the birth of our solar system.
-
Breakthrough Photo: See The 'Birth' Of A Planet For The Very First Time
A team of astronomers has detected for the first time a planet outside our solar system, embedded in a cleared gap of a multi-ringed disc.
-
Astronomers Capture Sharpest-Ever Solar Flare Images with NSF’s DKIST Telescope
Astronomers have achieved a major breakthrough by capturing the sharpest images of a solar flare ever recorded, using the National Science Foundation’s Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST). Observed at the hydrogen-alpha wavelength during the decay of an X1.3-class solar flare, the images unveiled hundreds of ultra-fine coronal loops averagin...
-
James Webb Detects Carbon Dioxide–Dominated Coma in Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS
The James Webb Space Telescope observed 3I/ATLAS, the third interstellar object detected in our solar system. Its coma is unusually rich in carbon dioxide with little water or carbon monoxide, suggesting a COâ‚‚-rich core or an insulating crust. Findings raise new questions about its cosmic origin.
-
NASA Launches AI Model To Understand Solar Eruptions, Predict Space Weather
NASA is raising the bar in solar science with the debut of the Surya Heliophysics Foundational Model, an artificial intelligence system built to decode the Sun's complex behavior.
-
Mercury Has Shrunk by Several Kilometers Over Billions of Years, Scientists Report
Mercury’s surface reveals it has been shrinking for billions of years due to cooling and faulting. A new study estimates the planet’s radius has contracted by 2.7–5.6 kilometers, offering the most precise figures yet. The findings sharpen understanding of Mercury’s thermal evolution and could help scientists apply the same techniques to tec...
-
Cosmic Visitor: 4.56-Billion-Year-Old Meteorite Strikes into Georgia Home
On June 26, 2025, a dazzling daytime fireball streaked over Georgia, captured by satellites and witnessed across multiple states. A surviving fragment smashed through the roof of a McDonough home, denting the wooden floor 14 feet below. Scientists at the University of Georgia analyzed about 23 grams of this ancient rock, determining it to be a 4.56...
-
NASA Shares New Details About Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS That's Hurtling Towards Earth
Hubble also captured a dust plume ejected from the Sun-warmed side of the comet and a hint of a dust tail streaming away from the nucleus.
-
Hubble Delivers Best View Yet of Rare Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Racing Through Solar System
Hubble has captured its sharpest image of 3I/ATLAS, a rare interstellar comet speeding through the solar system at 130,000 mph. The view reveals a dust-filled coma, a faint tail, and activity similar to native comets. Astronomers aim to study its composition before it vanishes forever, offering insight into objects formed around other stars.
-
James Webb Telescope Detects Potential Gas Giant Exoplanet Just 4 Light-Years Away
Astronomers using JWST have spotted a possible gas giant orbiting Alpha Centauri A, only 4 light-years away. If confirmed, it would be the closest exoplanet to a Sun-like star ever imaged. The discovery could challenge current models of planetary formation in binary systems and open new opportunities for studying nearby worlds.
-
Hubble Takes Best Picture Yet Of Comet From Another Solar System
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured the best picture yet of a high-speed comet visiting our solar system from another star.
