Comets TOP STORY
Comet Inspires Chemistry for Making Breathable Oxygen on Mars 
© Caltech
Research laboratory
Science fiction stories are chock full of terraforming schemes and oxygen generators for a very good reason -- we humans need molecular oxygen (O2) to breathe, and space is essentially devoid of it. Even on other planets with thick atmospheres, O2 is hard to come by.
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Comets TOP STORIES
Three Exocomets Discovered Around Beta Pictoris
© UNIVERSITY OF INNSBRUCK
Beta Pictoris
Just about a year after the launch of the NASA mission TESS, the first three comets orbiting the nearby star Beta Pictoris outside our solar system were discovered in data from the space telescope.
Rosetta's Comet Sculpted by Stress
Feeling stressed? You're not alone. ESA's Rosetta mission has revealed that geological stress arising from the shape of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko has been a key process in sculpting the comet's surface and interior following its formation.
A Close Look At Comet 46P/Wirtanen
As the brilliant comet 46P/Wirtanen streaked across the sky, NASA telescopes caught it on camera from multiple angles.
International Effort Studies Comet 29P and Finds Unusual Composition
Evgenij Zubko of Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) in collaboration with other international team members has developed a comprehensive model to explain the results of a photometric study of the Comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 (29P).
Landslides, Avalanches May Be Key to Long-Term Comet Activity
The release of gases through sublimation is the defining process of comets.
TESS Catches a Comet Before Starting Science
Before NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) started science operations on July 25, 2018, the planet hunter sent back a stunning sequence of serendipitous images showing the motion of a comet.
Molecular Oxygen in Comet 67P's Atmosphere Was Not Created On Its Surface
Scientists have found that molecular oxygen around comet 67P is not produced on its surface, as some suggested, but may be from its body.
Hubble Sees 'Oumuamua Getting a Boost, Like a Comet
'Oumuamua -- the first interstellar object discovered within our solar system -- has been the subject of intense scrutiny since its discovery in October 2017.
′Oumuamua Was Propelled By Cometary Jets
Observations from Hubble and ground-based observatories have confirmed ′Oumuamua got an unexpected boost in speed and shift in trajectory as it passed through the inner solar system last year.
Interstellar Asteroid 'Oumuamua Is Actually A Comet
An object from another star system that made a brief appearance in our skies guised as an asteroid turns out to be a tiny interstellar comet.
Rosetta Unravels Formation of Comet's Sunrise Jets
The atmosphere of Rosetta's comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is far from homogeneous.
Comet 96P Spotted by ESA, NASA Satellites
Comet 96P entered the bottom of STEREO's view and crossed it diagonally before leaving on Oct. 28.
Rosetta Reveals Missing Link In Understanding of Planet Formation
The missing link in our understanding of planet formation has been revealed by the first ever spacecraft to orbit and land on a comet, say German scientists.
Planets Form From Comets
Narrow dense rings of comets are coming together to form planets on the outskirts of at least three distant solar systems, astronomers have found in data from a pair of NASA telescopes.
Hubble Observes the Farthest Active Inbound Comet Yet Seen
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has photographed the farthest active inbound comet ever seen, at a whopping distance of 1.5 billion miles from the Sun (beyond Saturn's orbit).
Large, Distant Comets More Common Than Previously Thought
Comets that take more than 200 years to make one revolution around the Sun are notoriously difficult to study.
Strange Comet Challenging Researchers
Scientists pursue research through observation, experimentation and modeling. They strive for all of these pieces to fit together, but sometimes finding the unexpected is even more exciting.
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Video and Image: Rosetta Mission Results from Philae 14 November 2014
Video and Images: Rosetta Mission Philae Lander Media Briefing 13 November 2014
Artist's Impression of Exocomets Orbiting the Star Beta Pictoris
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