COMETS

NASA's asteroid-hunting NEOWISE survey uses infrared to detect and characterize asteroids and comets. Since the mission was restarted in December 2013, NEOWISE has observed or detected more than 29,000 asteroids in infrared light, of which 788 were near-Earth objects. The orbits of Mercury, Venus and Mars are shown in blue. Earth's orbit is in teal. Green dots represent near-Earth objects. Gray dots represent all other asteroids which are mainly in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Yellow squares represent comets. The survey depicted in the animation covers the period from December 13, 2013 to December 13, 2017.

Catastrophic collisions between comets do not always have to end in destruction. New research shows that some comets can collide and quickly reform within just a few days, or even hours. Video from: "Catastrophic disruptions as the origin of bilobate comets" (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-018-0395-2). Credit: ESA/Rosetta/Navcam/Stephen R. Schwartz/Patrick Michel/Martin Jutzi/Simone Marchi/Yun Zhang/Derek C. Richardson

"Like comets, these chunks of dry ice slowly disintegrate as they move. Comets are massive chunks of ice, frozen gases, and dust that orbit the Sun. As they near the Sun, these lonely travelers begin to give off gas, gradually shrinking and forming glowing tails that can stretch for millions of miles. Here, dry ice twirls in water just as comets move through space: ever changing and slowly dying until only fading clouds and memory remain."

NASA is going to decide between a comet sample return mission or a helicopter on Titan. Which mission should it be? See Tim's video here: https://youtu.be/JkS2dP7eiEU Then vote! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCogrSQkBJn1KF0N9I4oM7eQ/community?lb=UgzkKXIhEDAV-WxBS2R4AaABCQ Subscribe to Tim's Channel! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6uKrU_WqJ1R2HMTY3LIx5Q Sign up to my weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Support us at: http://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: http://www.universetoday.com/ Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Google+ - https://plus.google.com/+universetoday/ Instagram - http://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected] Chloe Cain - Instagram: @chloegwen2001 References: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-invests-in-concept-development-for-missions-to-comet-saturn-moon-titan http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/space-images/spacecraft/caesar-sample-return.html http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/History_of_cometary_missions http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/ http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/58220-philae-found/ https://www.asteroidmission.org/ https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mer/070628/squyres.html

VOTE HERE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCogrSQkBJn1KF0N9I4oM7eQ/community?lb=UgzkKXIhEDAV-WxBS2R4AaABCQ Fraser Cain's YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCogrSQkBJn1KF0N9I4oM7eQ Fraser's video about CAESAR - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtVKAQMNjY4 NASA’s considering sending a nuclear powered flying robotic laser guided quadcopter drone to a world with oceans, rain and maybe one of the best views in our solar system. That’s right, this is one of two potential missions that NASA has narrowed down for their final mission in their New Frontiers Program. Today I’m going to tell you all about ONE of those two missions as I go head to head against the publisher of Universe Today, Fraser Cain in a battle for the best potential mission. After you’ve heard from both of us, you get to vote on which one you think should win, which almost certainly will forever shape the history of space exploration. Either that or NASA won’t care at all what we think... hmmm… Show your support and join our discord channel and subreddit by becoming Patron - http://patreon.com/everydayastronaut Music by Everyday Astronaut - http://soundcloud.com/everydayastronaut Everyday Astronaut hats, prints, shirts and more at - https://everydayastronaut.com/shop/ SpaceX models by Oli Braun http://twitter.com/oli_braun and his store - https://www.buzzspacemodels.com/

On January 2, 2004, NASA's Stardust spacecraft flew by comet Wild 2 to collect some comet dust and bring it back to Earth. Stardust was the first robotic sample return mission of its kind. It didn't land on the comet, but it flew close enough to collect dust grain samples from the comet's coma. This is the cloudy region around a comet where evaporating ice and other particles are blown away from the comet's surface, forming the comet's characteristic "tail." Stardust also took some photos of the comet's icy nucleus before bringing the dust samples back to Earth less than two weeks later.

There are millions of giant rocks hurtling around the the solar system. Some of them stay in the cosmos and others penetrate the Earth’s atmosphere. So how do you tell the difference between different types of space rocks? The universe is kind of complicated, but Seeker has you covered. Each week, we’ll break down complex space terminology and phenomena using a very high tech medium… papier-mâché. You can get all kind of crafty in the cosmos with new episodes of Galactic Glossary every Wednesday. An Asteroid Didn’t Kill the Dinosaurs, Here’s a New Theory About What Did https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrbqkeB4UqE Subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzWQYUVCpZqtN93H8RR44Qw ____________________ Seeker inspires us to see the world through the lens of science and evokes a sense of curiosity, optimism and adventure. Visit the Seeker website http://www.seeker.com/ Subscribe now! http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=dnewschannel Seeker on Twitter http://twitter.com/seeker Seeker on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SeekerMedia/ Seeker http://www.seeker.com/

The ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA mission SOHO — short for Solar and Heliospheric Observatory — got a visit from an old friend this week when comet 96P entered its field of view on Oct. 25, 2017. The comet entered the lower right corner of SOHO’s view, and skirted up and around the right edge before leaving on Oct. 30. SOHO also spotted comet 96P in 1996, 2002, 2007 and 2012, making it the spacecraft’s most frequent cometary visitor. At the same time, comet 96P passed through a second NASA mission’s view: STEREO — short for Solar and Terrestrial Relations Observatory — also watched the comet between Oct. 26-28, from the opposite side of Earth’s orbit. It is extremely rare for comets to be seen simultaneously from two different locations in space, and these are the most comprehensive parallel observations of comet 96P yet. Scientists are eager to use these combined observations to learn more about the comet’s composition, as well as its interaction with the solar wind, the constant flow of charged particles from the Sun. Both missions gathered polarization measurements of the comet; these are measurements of sunlight in which all the light waves become oriented the same way after passing through a medium — in this case, particles in the tail of the comet. By pooling the polarization data together, scientists can extract details on the particles that the light passed through. Comet 96P — also known as comet Machholz, for amateur astronomer Dan Machholz’s 1986 discovery of the comet — completes an orbit around the Sun every 5.24 years. It makes its closest approach to the Sun at a toasty 11 million miles — a very close distance for a comet. When comet 96P appeared in SOHO’s view in 2012, amateur astronomers studying the SOHO data discovered two tiny comet fragments some distance ahead of the main body, signaling the comet was actively changing. This time around they have detected a third fragment — another breadcrumb in the trail that indicates the comet is still evolving. Scientists find comet 96P interesting because it has an unusual composition and is the parent of a large, diverse family, referring to a group of comets sharing a common orbit and originating from a much larger parent comet that over millennia, broke up into smaller fragments. Comet 96P is the parent of two separate comet groups, both of which were discovered by citizen scientists studying SOHO data, as well as a number of Earth-crossing meteor streams. By studying the comet’s ongoing evolution, scientists can learn more about the nature and origins of this complex family.

A small, recently discovered asteroid or possibly comet, appears to have originated from outside the solar system, coming from somewhere else in our galaxy. Astronomers are still trying to figure out what exactly it might be and where is came from. » Subscribe to NBC News: http://nbcnews.to/SubscribeToNBC » Watch more NBC video: http://bit.ly/MoreNBCNews NBC News is a leading source of global news and information. Here you will find clips from NBC Nightly News, Meet The Press, and original digital videos. Subscribe to our channel for news stories, technology, politics, health, entertainment, science, business, and exclusive NBC investigations. Connect with NBC News Online! Visit NBCNews.Com: http://nbcnews.to/ReadNBC Find NBC News on Facebook: http://nbcnews.to/LikeNBC Follow NBC News on Twitter: http://nbcnews.to/FollowNBC Follow NBC News on Google+: http://nbcnews.to/PlusNBC Follow NBC News on Instagram: http://nbcnews.to/InstaNBC Follow NBC News on Pinterest: http://nbcnews.to/PinNBC An Alien Object Was Recently Detected In Our Solar System | Mach | NBC News

On Oct. 18, astronomers think they spotted a comet or asteroid that originated in a different star system passing through our solar system for the first confirmed time.

Yesterday (Oct. 25) we reported that a comet had been discovered named C/2017 U1. New observations later in the day have revealed the object to be “completely stellar” and its designation was changed to asteroid A/2017 U1 by the Minor Planet Center. It’s trajectory is currently thought to be hyperbolic but further observations are still needed to predict its origin. -- Full Story: https://www.space.com/38580-interstellar-object-spotted-comet-asteroid-mystery.html -- More about the redesignation at the Minor Planet Center website: http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/mpec/K17/K17UI3.html Original report: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK6GYizNVGw Credit: Space.com / orbit animation: NASA/JPL-Caltech / edited by Steve Spaleta http://www.twitter.com/stevespaleta

Comet 2017 U1 was discovered a few days ago using the PANSTARRS telescope. Further observations are needed to confirm but "this object may be the first clear case of an interstellar comet," according to the Minor Planet Center. -- Full Story: https://www.space.com/38580-interstellar-object-spotted-comet-asteroid-mystery.html http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/mpec/K17/K17UI1.html Credit: Space.com / orbit animation: NASA/JPL-Caltech / edited by Steve Spaleta http://www.twitter.com/stevespaleta

Some comets orbit the Sun on a regular basis, but others come in from deep space, a region known as the Oort Cloud. What causes them to make this journey, and will we ever be able to explore the Oort Cloud? Support us at: http://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: http://www.universetoday.com/ Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Google+ - https://plus.google.com/+universetoday/ Instagram - http://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEIt... Chad Weber - [email protected] Chloe Cain - Instagram: @chloegwen2001 Before I get into this episode, I want to remind everyone that it’s been several decades since I’ve been able to enjoy a bright comet in the night sky. I’ve seen mind blowing auroras, and witnessed a total solar eclipse with my own eyeballs. The Universe needs to deliver this bright comet for me, and it needs to do it soon. By recording this video now, I will summon it. I will create a video that’ll be hilariously out of date in a few months, when that bright comet shows up. Like that time we totally discovered a supernova in the Virtual Star Party, by saying there wasn’t a supernova in that galaxy, but there was, and we didn’t get to make the discovery. Anyway, on to the episode. Let’s talk about comets. Comets are awesome. They’re made of gas, dust, rock, and organic materials, smashed together, and existing mostly unchanged since the formation of the Solar System 4.5 billion years ago. Every now and then, some gravitational interaction kicks a comet into an orbit that brings it closer to the Sun. Because of the increased radiation, the comet’s volatile gas and dust sublimates off the surface, leaving behind a long tail of ice. And this is how we discover them. In fact, comets are one of the objects in the night sky regularly found by amateurs. And by discovering a comet, you get to have it named after you. Of course many of the comets are named after robotic observatories, just another way the robots are taking human jobs.

Support SciShow Space and get 20% off your annual brilliant.org subscription at https://brilliant.org/scishowspace/ Astronomers discovered something cool about an object in the asteroid belt (2006 VW139/288P), and the European Space Agency is conducting a bed rest study that could help us get on our way to Mars. We want to learn more about you and your opinions! If you have time, please take a moment to fill out this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SciShowSurvey2017 Thank you! Hosted By: Hank Green ---------- Support SciShow by becoming a patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/scishow ---------- Dooblydoo thanks go to the following Patreon supporters: D.A. Noe, Nicholas Smith, سلطان الخليفي, Piya Shedden, KatieMarie Magnone, Scott Satovsky Jr, Bella Nash, Charles Southerland, Patrick D. Ashmore, Tim Curwick, charles george, Kevin Bealer, Philippe von Bergen, Chris Peters, Fatima Iqbal ---------- Like SciShow? Want to help support us, and also get things to put on your walls, cover your torso and hold your liquids? Check out our awesome products over at DFTBA Records: http://dftba.com/scishow ---------- Looking for SciShow elsewhere on the internet? Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/scishow Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/scishow Tumblr: http://scishow.tumblr.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/thescishow ---------- Sources: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v549/n7672/full/nature23892.html http://www.spacetelescope.org/static/archives/releases/science_papers/heic1715/heic1715a.pdf https://www.spacetelescope.org/news/heic1715/ https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/hubble-discovers-that-a-unique-object-is-a-binary https://arxiv.org/pdf/1205.4949.pdf http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2041-8205/748/1/L15/pdf https://www.sciencenews.org/article/how-did-earth-get-its-water http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_Spaceflight/Bedrest_studies/Vitamin_super-cocktail_to_combat_60_days_of_lying_in_bed https://www.nasa.gov/analogs/envihab/bed-rest-faqs http://atanar-esa.cdnetworks.net/multimedia/publications/Bedrest_Resting_for_science/ Images: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spindle_diagram.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nh-pluto-in-true-color_2x_JPEG-edit-frame.jpg https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/hubble-discovers-that-a-unique-object-is-a-binary https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:OSIRIS_Mars_true_color.jpg

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope observed the farthest-discovered active inbound comet, Comet K2. K2 came from the distant Oort Cloud and is visiting our inner solar system for the first (and only) time. Since we're seeing it so far away, past the orbit of Saturn, K2 is still in its early phase of activity, likely making it the most primitive comet anyone has ever seen. Read the web story https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/hubble-observes-the-farthest-active-inbound-comet-yet-seen/ This video is public domain and along with other supporting visualizations can be downloaded from the Scientific Visualization Studio at: http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12724 Read the science paper here: https://media.stsci.edu/preview/file/science_paper/file_attachment/262/Jewitt_Comet_K2_paper_9-26-17.pdf Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Katrina Jackson Music credit: "Space Cake" by Donn Wilerson [BMI] and Lance Sumner [BMI]; Killer Tracks BMI; Killer Tracks Production Music. Follow NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center · Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NASA.GSFC · Twitter https://twitter.com/NASAGoddard · Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/ · Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nasagoddard/ · Google+ https://plus.google.com/+NASAGoddard/

These 210 images reflect Rosetta’s ever-changing view of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko between July 2014 and September 2016. The sequence begins in the month leading up to Rosetta’s arrival on 6 August, when the comet was barely a few pixels in the field of view. Suddenly, the curious shape was revealed and Rosetta raced to image its surface, coming within 10 km, to find a suitable place for Philae to land just three months later. Philae’s landing is featured with the ‘farewell’ images taken by both spacecraft of each other shortly after separation, and by Philae as it drew closer to the surface at its first touchdown point. An image taken at the final landing site is also shown.The subsequent images, taken by Rosetta, reflect the varying distance from the comet as well as the comet’s rise and fall in activity as they orbited the Sun. Before the comet reached its most active phase in August 2015, Rosetta was able to make some close flybys, including one in which the lighting geometry from the Sun was such that the spacecraft’s shadow could be seen on the surface. Then, owing to the increase of dust in the local environment, Rosetta had to maintain a safer distance and carry out scientific observations from afar, but this also gave some impressive views of the comet’s global activity, including jets and outburst events. Once the activity began to subside, Rosetta could come closer again and conduct science nearer to the nucleus, including capturing more high-resolution images of the surface, and looking out for changes after this active period. Eventually, as the comet returned to the colder outer Solar System, so the available solar power to operate Rosetta fell. The mission concluded with Rosetta making its own dramatic descent to the surface on 30 September 2016, the final images taken reflected in the last images shown in this montage. Explore thousands of Rosetta images in our Archive Image Browser: https://imagearchives.esac.esa.int/ More about Rosetta and its science discoveries: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta Credits: ESA/Rosetta/NavCam – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0; ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA; ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA; ESA/Rosetta/Philae/ROLIS/DLR

Hubble Observations taken in 2016 show that the comet P/2006 VW139 is a binary object! Each chunk is roughly a kilometer across, and they take between 70-140 days to orbit each other. The tail in this enhanced color sequence is from dust, and changes position due to the geometry; or viewing angle on it from Earth changed between observations. No other object quite like this has ever been seen; it orbits the Sun in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It may be relatively young, just a few thousand years ago it was a single body that split either due to a collision or by getting its rotation rate spun up, flying it apart. Credit: NASA, ESA, and J. Agarwal (Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research) Original press release: https://www.spacetelescope.org/news/heic1715/

According to a new study published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, stars just outside our solar system may knock comets out of orbit and onto paths that could collide with Earth.

Support ASTRONOMIC: https://www.patreon.com/Astronomic PayPal Donations: [email protected] Subscribe to ASTRONOMIC: https://www.youtube.com/astronomic1 Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/astronomic1 Instagram: https://www.instragram.com/astronomic1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/astronomicbook Exclusive Content: https://www.curious.com/astronomic Hello Everyone! Welcome to OUR Universe! If you've enjoyed the video... click the LIKE button! If you want to support the channel... click the SUBSCRIBE button! TITLE: What Is... A Comet? LINKS: 1. Comet (Wiki) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet 2. Comet Facts (Space Facts) http://space-facts.com/comets/ 3. 'Dirty Snowballs' (Space.com) https://www.space.com/53-comets-formation-discovery-and-exploration.html OTHER VIDEOS: 1. Comets https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsvZVOdY10g&t=47s 2. A Lifetime Of A Star https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UGBeedYuF4 3. What Is... A Black Hole? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn3AjzyxCQc Thanks for Watching! Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/astronomic1 Instagram: https://www.instragram.com/astronomic1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/astronomicbook Exclusive Content: https://www.curious.com/astronomic Support ASTRONOMIC: https://www.patreon.com/Astronomic PayPal Donations: [email protected] Subscribe to ASTRONOMIC: https://www.youtube.com/astronomic1

A night out capturing Comet c2015-v2 Johnson. Though not the best night transparency and cloud wise, it was a beautiful night otherwise and fun to just get out and chase a comet! Unfortunately, stacking did not produce a good “single” image, but it made a good video! Equipment Used: Celestron C14 SCT Celestron CGE Pro Mount Reducer: Hyper Star – f/2.1 Camera: Atik Infinity Guide Scope: None – Unguided imaging

Comets are fleeting visitors to the night sky, and are always on the change, whether it’s their magnitude, breaking up in space, or falling into Jupiter’s massive atmosphere. Once you have seen your first bright comet you want to see more. Please join the Facebook Group 'Comet Watch' hosted by comet expert Neil Norman FRAS. And also pre-order the 2018 Yearbook of Astronomy from Amazon.

On July 23rd, 2017, Slooh will be celebrating the anniversary of the discovery of the Hale-Bopp comet back in 1995 with incredible images of comets visible through our telescopes, and discussions of how comets affect our lives on Earth.

To mark International Asteroid Day on June 30, we aired a special television program with information about the work our Planetary Defense Coordination Office and other NASA-funded programs do to find, track and characterize Near Earth Objects. These are asteroids and comets in the vicinity of Earth’s orbit that could pose an impact threat to our planet. The Planetary Defense Coordination Office also issues alerts and helps coordinate any U.S. government response to an impact threat. The broadcast was part of a 24-hour Asteroid Day program from Broadcasting Center Europe.

Two unique ground telescope operations, at the Catalina Sky Survey in Mt. Lemmon, Arizona, and the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System, or PanSTARRS, located at Haleakala, Hawaii, are responsible for about 90 percent of all near-Earth object discoveries. Find out more about how NASA finds, studies and tracks near-Earth asteroids and comets by visiting https://www.nasa.gov/planetarydefense .

Did you ever wonder how NASA spots asteroids that maybe getting too close to Earth for comfort? Watch and learn. Find out more about NASA finds, studies and tracks near-Earth objects by visiting https://www.nasa.gov/planetarydefense .

The dinosaurs didn't have a space program, but we do! Learn more about what we're doing to protect the Earth from asteroids and how you can help: http://planet.ly/7rBwW Get space updates delivered straight to your inbox: http://planet.ly/TI0Pf Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: http://planet.ly/ytsubscribe Follow us! Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/planetarysociety Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/exploreplanets Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/planetarysociety On the web: http://www.planetary.org Join us: http://planet.ly/rfzIS About The Planetary Society: The Planetary Society has inspired millions of people to explore other worlds and seek other life. With the mission to empower the world's citizens to advance space science and exploration, its international membership makes the non-governmental Planetary Society the largest space interest group in the world. Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray and Louis Friedman founded the Planetary Society in 1980. Bill Nye, a longtime member of the Planetary Society's Board, serves as CEO.

Planetary Defense is the term that describes how to protect the Earth from asteroid impact. In this video series, we're going to explore a 5 Step Plan to preventing asteroid impact. Learn more: http://planet.ly/AAgJG Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: http://planet.ly/ytsubscribe Follow us! Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/planetarysociety Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/exploreplanets Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/planetarysociety On the web: http://www.planetary.org Join us: http://planet.ly/d0xxU Stay in touch with our monthly e-newsletter: http://planet.ly/mat9e About The Planetary Society: The Planetary Society has inspired millions of people to explore other worlds and seek other life. With the mission to empower the world's citizens to advance space science and exploration, its international membership makes the non-governmental Planetary Society the largest space interest group in the world. Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray and Louis Friedman founded the Planetary Society in 1980. Bill Nye, a longtime member of the Planetary Society's Board, serves as CEO.

I wasn't sure what to expect with Comet C/2015 V2 (Johnson). But when I had a chance to capture a couple of images, it was obvious that I should create an animation (time-lapse) for it because it was moving really fast. A total of 60 frames were captures (3 minutes each), but I had to delete 4 due to bad data. The timespan covers 3.8 hours. Here is more info: Targets: Comet C/2015 V2 Johnson Imaging Telescope: Celestron NexStar 8SE Focal Reducer: f/.63 Mount: Celestron CGX Polar Alignment: QHYCCD PoleMaster Imaging Camera: QHY10 (OSC) Filters: Optolong L-Pro filter Gain: 22, Offset: 119 (rather high, I know) Guide scope: Orion ED80T CF Triplet Apochromatic Refractor (480mm focal length) Guide Camera: Lodestar X2 Guide Software: PHD2 Calibration Frames: Darks: 0, Bias: 0, Flats: 50 Capture software: Sequence Generator Pro (SGP) Stacking software: DeepSkyStacker (DSS) Post Processing: PixInsight, PIPP Dew Shield, Dew Heater Strip

Sadly for some, a recent study presents evidence that aliens played no part in the creation of the Wow! signal.

Rosetta’s operational mission ended in September 2016, but for the scientists and instrument teams the mission is far from over. Scientists have only scratched the surface analysing the amount of data produced by the mission. As this information is scrutinised, new discoveries are made, including a surprise final extra image taken by the OSIRIS camera during the spacecraft’s controlled descent onto the comet.

Visit http://science.nasa.gov/ for more. In 2017 and 2018, three comets will pass near the Earth providing the opportunity to observe and study these icy interlopers. 4*P Morphology Campaign: http://www.psi.edu/41P45P46P

LISA Pathfinder, a mission led by the European Space Agency (ESA) with contributions from NASA, has successfully demonstrated critical technologies needed to build a space-based observatory for detecting ripples in space-time called gravitational waves. Now a team of NASA scientists hopes to take advantage of the spacecraft's record-breaking sensitivity to map out the distribution of tiny dust particles shed by asteroids and comets far from Earth. Most of these particles have masses measured in micrograms, similar to a small grain of sand. But with speeds greater than 22,000 mph (36,000 km/h), even micrometeoroids pack a punch. The new measurements could help refine dust models used by researchers in a variety of studies, from understanding the physics of planet formation to estimating impact risks for current and future spacecraft. The mission's primary goal was to test how well the spacecraft could fly in formation with an identical pair of 1.8-inch (46 millimeter) gold-platinum cubes floating inside it. The cubes are test masses intended to be in free fall and responding only to gravity. The spacecraft serves as a shield to protect the test masses from external forces. When LISA Pathfinder responds to pressure from sunlight and microscopic dust impacts, the spacecraft automatically compensates by firing tiny bursts from its micronewton thrusters to prevent the test masses from being disturbed. In response to an impact, LISA Pathfinder fires its thrusters to counteract both the minute "push" from the strike and any change in the spacecraft's spin. Together, these quantities allow the researchers to determine the impact's location on the spacecraft and reconstruct the micrometeoroid's original trajectory. This may allow the team to identify individual debris streams and perhaps relate them to known asteroids and comets. Its distant location, sensitivity to low-mass particles, and ability to measure the size and direction of impacting particles make LISA Pathfinder a unique instrument for studying the population of micrometeoroids in the inner solar system. But it's only the beginning. LISA Pathfinder is managed by ESA and includes contributions from NASA Goddard and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The mission launched on Dec. 3, 2015, and began orbiting a point called Earth-sun L1, roughly 930,000 miles (1.5 million km) from Earth in the sun's direction, in late January 2016. LISA stands for Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, a space-based gravitational wave observatory concept that has been studied in great detail by both NASA and ESA. It is a concept being explored for the third large mission of ESA's Cosmic Vision Plan, which seeks to launch a gravitational wave observatory in 2034. For more information: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/nasa-team-explores-using-lisa-pathfinder-as-comet-crumb-detector This video is public domain and along with other supporting visualizations can be downloaded from the Scientific Visualization Studio at: http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12453 Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Music: "Electrovoltaic" and "Disks in the Sky" from Killer Tracks. If you liked this video, subscribe to the NASA Goddard YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/NASAExplorer Or subscribe to NASA’s Goddard Shorts HD Podcast: http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/iTunes/f0004_index.html Follow NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center · Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NASA.GSFC · Twitter http://twitter.com/NASAGoddard · Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/ · Instagram http://www.instagram.com/nasagoddard/ · Google+ http://plus.google.com/+NASAGoddard/posts

Images captured by the Rosetta spacecraft show what lies beneath the surface of Comet 67P, according to a report published March 21 in "Nature Astronomy"

68 minute time lapse of the close approach of comet 45P from the images taken during this morning's live webcast. Tracked with a Meade LX200 Classic using custom software being developed for release. Imaged with an SBIG ST-2000XCM camera and Orion ST-80 riding piggyback. Music: Breathe in the Light by Stellardrone Stacked image: http://astronomylive.deviantart.com/art/Comet-45P-Close-Approach-663128661

Live webcast of the close approach of comet 45P/Honda using an SBIG ST-2000XCM camera and Orion ST-80 refractor piggybacked on an LX200. Direct tracking of the comet was provided by custom software I am developing for tracking rapidly moving objects telescopically, including comets, asteroids, satellites, and even rocket launches. Time lapse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GeDa3uxxdw Stacked image: http://astronomylive.deviantart.com/art/Comet-45P-Close-Approach-663128661

We record the Weekly Space Hangout every Friday at 12:00 pm Pacific / 3:00 pm Eastern. You can watch us live on Universe Today or the Universe Today YouTube page.

Tonight the night sky will provide a spectacle you won't want to miss. In a rare convergence of elements, a penumbral lunar eclipse, a full "snow moon" and a comet will all be on full display in most parts of the world. First up is the eclipse, which will present itself as a darkening of the moon as it passes through the weakest part of the Earth's shadow. Prime viewing is at 4:43 p.m. PT and will dissipate until it completes. Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdušáková is next, and although it has been visible through telescopes for weeks now, will be at its closest point the morning of February 11. You won't be able to see it with the naked eye, but should see it in the constellation of Hercules through either binoculars or a telescope. You can also see Slooh Obervatory's livestream starting Friday at 7:30 p.m. PT. https://www.cnet.com/news/comet-45p-snow-moon-lunar-eclipse-february-2017/#ftag=CAD590a51e http://www.wochit.com This video was produced by YT Wochit News using http://wochit.com

A "snow" moon, penumbral eclipse and comet flyby will light up the night sky on Feb. 10

Mars, Venus, Uranus are visible this month. Comets 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova, and 2P Encke can be seen with binoculars and telescopes. Look to the west at sunse to see the triangular glow of light, known as the zodiacal light. Best Telescopes for the Money: https://goo.gl/H0gGDz Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Use Venus and Mars to find the zodiacal light, plus two comets and the brightest asteroid. Find more astronomy information and events in your area by visiting https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/ .

Present technology does not enable us to view images of these kilometer-sized infalling bodies, but the evaporation of gaseous products liberated from exocomets that occurs close to a star can potentially cause small disruptions in the ambient circumstellar disk plasma. For circumstellar disks that are viewed “edge-on” this evaporating material may be directly observed through transient (night-to-night and hour-to-hour) gas absorption features seen at rapidly changing velocities. Using high resolution spectrographs mounted to large aperture ground-based telescopes, we have discovered 15 young stars that harbor swarms of exocomets. In this lecture we briefly describe the physical attributes of comets in our own solar system and the instrumental observing techniques to detect the presence of evaporating exocomets present around stars with ages in the 10 – 100 Myr range. We note that this work has particular relevance to the dramatic fluctuations in the flux recorded towards “Tabby’s star” by the NASA Kepler Mission, that may be explained through the piling up of swarms of exocomets in front of the central star.

What IS the difference between comets, asteroids, meteoroids, meteors and meteorites? Most of us don't actually know! Astronimate explains the key differences and everything you need to know about each of these fascinating space objects! For more detail, check out Astronimate's article now: http://astronimate.com/article/comets-asteroids-meteoroids-meteors-meteorites/

www.eyesonthesky.com A telescope is not the only tool in amateur astronomer's visual arsenal. Binoculars are an important component for observing, as they provide a deeper look at the sky than the naked eye can see, with a wider field of view than a telescope. Check out the Hyades and Pleiades star clusters, along with Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova with binoculars. See what's up in the night sky every week with "Eyes on the Sky" videos, astronomy made easy.

On November 12, the European Space Agency will attempt something that's never been done — make a soft landing on a comet. Find out how NASA is assisting.

NASA's Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) mission spotted an object close enough to Earth. The objects, whose appearances hints to be a comet, is known as C/2016 U1 NEOWISE. Find out whether it is harmful or not. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe to OneIndia News Channel for latest updates on movies and related videos. You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqTa3sNT6SfiQ2DQK_kuWlA Follow us on Twitter : https://twitter.com/Oneindia Like us on Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/oneindianews Join our circle in Google Plus : https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/112448479869362930381/+oneindia Download App: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=in.oneindia.android.tamilapp

Rare comet, C/2016 U1 NEOWISE, will be visible with only binoculars

Animation visualising Rosetta's trajectory around Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, from arrival to mission end. The animation begins on 31 July 2014, during Rosetta's final approach to the comet after its ten-year journey through space. The spacecraft arrived at a distance of 100 km on 6 August, from where it gradually approached the comet and entered initial mapping orbits that were needed to select a landing site for Philae. These observations also enabled the first comet science of the mission. The manoeuvres in the lead up to, during and after Philae's release on 12 November are seen, before Rosetta settled into longer-term science orbits. In February and March 2015 the spacecraft made several flybys. One of the closest triggered a 'safe mode' that forced it to retreat temporarily until it was safe to draw gradually closer again. The comet's increased activity in the lead up to and after perihelion in August 2015 meant that Rosetta remained well beyond 100 km for several months. In June 2015, contact was restored with Philae again – albeit temporary, with no permanent link able to be maintained, despite a series of dedicated trajectories flown by Rosetta for several weeks. Following the closest approach to the Sun, Rosetta made a dayside far excursion some 1500 km from the comet, before re-approaching to closer orbits again, enabled by the reduction in the comet's activity. In March–April 2016 Rosetta went on another far excursion, this time on the night side, followed by a close flyby and orbits dedicated to a range of science observations. In early August the spacecraft started flying elliptical orbits that brought it progressively closer to the comet. On 24 September Rosetta left its close, flyover orbits and switched into the start of a 16 km × 23 km orbit that was used to prepare and line up for the final descent. On the evening of 29 September Rosetta manoeuvred onto a collision course with the comet, beginning the final, slow descent from an altitude of 19 km. It collected scientific data throughout the descent and gently struck the surface at 10:39 UTC on 30 September in the Ma'at region on the comet's 'head', concluding the mission. The trajectory shown in this animation is created from real data, but the comet rotation is not. Distances are given with respect to the comet centre (except for the zero at the end to indicate completion), but may not necessarily follow the exact comet distance because of natural deviations from the comet's gravity and outgassing. An arrow indicates the direction to the Sun as the camera viewpoint changes during the animation. More information about this video can be found at http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/58652-rosetta-s-complete-journey-around-the-comet/