#comets — Public Fediverse posts

2026 May 12

The Conjunction of Comet R3 PanSTARRS and the Orion Nebula
* Image Credit & Copyright: Julien De Winter, Sascha Ebeler
https://www.instagram.com/dwj85
https://www.instagram.com/sascha.ebeler
* Text: Keighley Rockcliffe (NASA GSFC, UMBC CSST, CRESST II)
https://kerockcliffe.com/
https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/sci/bio/keighley.e.rockcliffe
https://csst.umbc.edu/directory/
https://cresst2.umd.edu/

Explanation:
Today’s composite image features something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue! Comet R3 PanSTARRS, streaking across the right of the image, likely originated from the Oort Cloud, meaning it is an old Solar System relic from billions of years ago. It’s bright extended ion tail glows blue as the gas escaping the comet’s core is ionized by sunlight. Astronomers are fascinated by comets for all sorts of reasons: comet compositions are untouched time capsules containing the building blocks of Solar System planets; comets may have delivered water to the young Earth; the behavior of cometary tails shed light on solar wind and radiation interactions. The background mosaic, featuring the Orion Nebula (M42), was taken over two nights of observation with the comet captured on the third night. The Orion Nebula is our nearest stellar nursery and, at about 2 million years old, is our something (relatively) new! Now at around 127.5 million kilometers from Earth, we wave goodbye to the borrowed Comet R3 PanSTARRS as it leaves the Solar System.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DYL5zg5Ak78/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Something_old
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260412.html
https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/oort-cloud/facts/
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260414.html
https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/comets/facts/
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/comet-provides-new-clues-to-origins-of-earths-oceans/
https://www.mos.org/article/getting-know-orion-great-nebula
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/science/explore-the-night-sky/hubble-messier-catalog/messier-42/
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241104.html
https://www.space.com/orion-nebula
https://theskylive.com/c2025r3-info

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260512.html

#space #comets #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA #education #apod

.. annotated version of previous post

#space #comets #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy
#nature #NASA #education #apod

2026 May 10

Comet R3 PanSTARRS and Orion
* Image Credit & Copyright: Luc Perrot (TWAN)
https://www.lucperrot.fr/bio

Explanation:
Orion never had a sword like this. As Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) heads out of the inner Solar System, it is putting on quite a show for long exposure cameras. Currently seen toward the constellation of Orion the Hunter, the distant Orion Nebula is visible on the upper right. Comet R3 PanSTARRS is now showing two distinct tails: a short dust tail pointing toward the top of the image and a long and wavy ion tail trailing off toward the upper left. The ion tail points away from the Sun and glows blue from excited carbon monoxide. Large particles in the dust tail somewhat resist the radiation pressure that push them away from the Sun and so retain a bit of the comet's orbit. The dust tail shines by reflected sunlight. The featured image was taken a few days ago from France's Reunion Island in the southern Indian Ocean.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C/2025_R3_(PanSTARRS)
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260420.html
https://starwalk.space/en/news/comet-c2025-r3-panstarrs
https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/constellations/en/
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250420.html
https://theskylive.com/c2025r3-info
https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/comets/en/anatomy-of-a-comet.en.jpg
https://astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/*/Cometary+Dust+Tail
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220110.html
https://science.nasa.gov/sun/
http://www2.ess.ucla.edu/~jewitt/tail.html
https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/global-maps/carbon-monoxide/
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS1DfzgrmAlBOsFVYpD2zBqj6FDI5z77THEpQ&s
https://van.physics.illinois.edu/ask/listing/31796
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221227.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France
https://youtu.be/MUEVBSiWWR8
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Ocean

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260510.html

#space #comets #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA #education #apod

https://www.europesays.com/news/25181/ How to Catch a Meteor Shower From Halley’s Comet #Comets #Headlines #MeteorsAndMeteorites #NationalAeronauticsAndSpaceAdministration #News #SpaceAndAstronomy #TopStories

Discoveries About 3I/ATLAS Origins and Some Other Updates - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvdwA5Khc4c

#Astronomy #Cosmology #Comets

Orbits of Nine Comets Captured by Jupiter (1898) by Agnes Giberne, from The Story of the Sun, Moon, and Stars.

Source: Library of Congress / Internet Archive

https://pdimagearchive.org/images/6ac8b80d-735d-41c4-846c-12c6bcc9ba91

#diagrams #planets #orbits #space #astronomy #stars #jupiter #comets #art #publicdomain

NASA’s Hubble Unexpectedly Catches Comet Breaking Up https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/nasas-hubble-unexpectedly-catches-comet-breaking-up/ #NASA #Astrophysics #AstrophysicsDivision #Comets #GoddardSpaceFlightCenter #HubbleSpaceTelescope #SmallBodiesOfTheSolarSystem #TheSolarSystem

Interstellar Comet 3I/Atlas Has Another Surprise: It’s Full of Alcohol

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.wired.com/story/interstellar-comet-3i-atlas-has-another-surprise-its-full-of-alcohol/

🌌 Far beyond the last bright planet, the solar system softens into an inferred halo where icy bodies drift in deep quiet. Long-period comets arrive like messages from that distant frontier, written in motion rather than light.

✍️ Trace the full arc of the story: https://TPC8.short.gy/zb8yYmze

🌠 Some frontiers reveal themselves through patience and wonder.

#OortCloud #Comets #Astronomy #Space #Science #CosmicPerspective #TPC8

https://www.europesays.com/uk/691218/ Astronomers surprised by mysterious shock wave around dead star #alma #Astronomie #Astronomy #Astrophysics #chile #comets #detectors #elt #eso #eso.org #Galaxies #Garching #LaSilla #Nebulae #NTT #Paranal #Planets #Science #Space #Stars #Suedsternwarte #telescopes #UK #UnitedKingdom #Universe #VLT #VLTI

https://www.europesays.com/ie/280894/ Astronomers surprised by mysterious shock wave around dead star #ALMA #Astronomie #Astronomy #astrophysics #chile #comets #detectors #Éire #ELT #ESO #eso.org #Galaxies #Garching #IE #Ireland #LaSilla #Nebulae #NTT #Paranal #Planets #Science #Space #stars #Suedsternwarte #Telescopes #universe #VLT #VLTI

Astronomers surprised by mysterious shock wave around dead star

Press Release 12 January 2026 Gas and dust flowing from stars can, under the right conditions, clash with…
#NewsBeep #News #Space #ALMA #Astronomie #astronomy #Astrophysics #Chile #comets #detectors #ELT #ESO #eso.org #Galaxies #Garching #LaSilla #Nebulae #NTT #Paranal #Planets #Science #stars #Suedsternwarte #Telescopes #UK #UnitedKingdom #Universe #VLT #VLTI
https://www.newsbeep.com/uk/366122/

Comets Calendar 2026: From PanSTARRS To Howell, Feast Your Eyes With Five Celestial Delights This Year

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://in.mashable.com/science/104335/comets-calendar-2026-from-panstarrs-to-howell-feast-your-eyes-with-five-celestial-delights-this-year

Laser trial run kickstarts new era of interferometry | Chasing Starlight – Eso.org

Laser trial run kickstarts new era of interferometry | Chasing Starlight  Eso.orgLaser trial a…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Physics #ALMA #Astronomie #Astronomy #Astrophysics #chile #comets #detectors #ELT #ESO #eso.org #galaxies #Garching #LaSilla #Nebulae #NTT #Paranal #Planets #Science #stars #Suedsternwarte #Telescopes #universe #VLT #VLTI
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/284667/

Laser trial run kickstarts new era of interferometry | Chasing Starlight – Eso.org

Laser trial run kickstarts new era of interferometry | Chasing Starlight  Eso.orgLaser trial a…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Physics #ALMA #Astronomie #Astronomy #Astrophysics #chile #comets #detectors #ELT #ESO #eso.org #galaxies #Garching #LaSilla #Nebulae #NTT #Paranal #Planets #Science #stars #Suedsternwarte #Telescopes #universe #VLT #VLTI
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/284667/

Laser trial run kickstarts new era of interferometry | Chasing Starlight – Eso.org

Laser trial run kickstarts new era of interferometry | Chasing Starlight  Eso.orgLaser trial at ESO kickstarts new era of…
#NewsBeep #News #Physics #ALMA #Astronomie #astronomy #Astrophysics #Chile #comets #detectors #ELT #ESO #eso.org #Galaxies #Garching #LaSilla #Nebulae #NTT #Paranal #Planets #Science #stars #Suedsternwarte #Telescopes #UK #UnitedKingdom #Universe #VLT #VLTI
https://www.newsbeep.com/uk/255369/

Okay, New York City. Bet you never thought the city that never sleeps was good for star gazing! Short article outlines where to look and when, for comets and meteors or shooting stars.
#NYC #comets #meteor #shower #shooting #star #gazing #full #moon #waning #gibbous #American #Astronomical #Society #Orion #Swan #constellations #planets #Taurus #binoculars #happy #supermoon
.
https://gothamist.com/news/nycs-late-fall-skies-are-bright-with-comets-and-shooting-stars

Okay, New York City. Bet you never thought the city that never sleeps was good for star gazing! Short article outlines where to look and when, for comets and meteors or shooting stars.
#NYC #comets #meteor #shower #shooting #star #gazing #full #moon #waning #gibbous #American #Astronomical #Society #Orion #Swan #constellations #planets #Taurus #binoculars #happy #supermoon
.
https://gothamist.com/news/nycs-late-fall-skies-are-bright-with-comets-and-shooting-stars

Okay, New York City. Bet you never thought the city that never sleeps was good for star gazing! Short article outlines where to look and when, for comets and meteors or shooting stars.
#NYC #comets #meteor #shower #shooting #star #gazing #full #moon #waning #gibbous #American #Astronomical #Society #Orion #Swan #constellations #planets #Taurus #binoculars #happy #supermoon
.
https://gothamist.com/news/nycs-late-fall-skies-are-bright-with-comets-and-shooting-stars

Okay, New York City. Bet you never thought the city that never sleeps was good for star gazing! Short article outlines where to look and when, for comets and meteors or shooting stars.
#NYC #comets #meteor #shower #shooting #star #gazing #full #moon #waning #gibbous #American #Astronomical #Society #Orion #Swan #constellations #planets #Taurus #binoculars #happy #supermoon
.
https://gothamist.com/news/nycs-late-fall-skies-are-bright-with-comets-and-shooting-stars

New image captures spooky bat signal in the sky

Press Release 31 October 2025 A spooky bat has been spotted flying over the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO’s)…
#NewsBeep #News #Space #ALMA #Astronomie #Astronomy #Astrophysics #AU #Australia #Chile #comets #detectors #ELT #ESO #eso.org #galaxies #Garching #LaSilla #Nebulae #NTT #Paranal #Planets #Science #stars #Suedsternwarte #Telescopes #Universe #VLT #VLTI
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/252913/

Probes could catch tail of Manhattan-sized space object 3I/ATLAS, but time is running out: report

A pair of space probes cruising the solar system may be able to pass through the tail of…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Space #aliens #comets #NASA #Science #spaceprogram #USNews
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/253458/

Probes could catch tail of Manhattan-sized space object 3I/ATLAS, but time is running out: report

A pair of space probes cruising the solar system may be able to pass through the tail of…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Space #aliens #comets #NASA #Science #spaceprogram #USNews
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/253458/

https://www.europesays.com/uk/468710/ Six billion tonnes a second: Rogue planet found growing at record rate #alma #Astronomie #Astronomy #Astrophysics #chile #comets #detectors #elt #eso #eso.org #Galaxies #Garching #LaSilla #Nebulae #NTT #Paranal #Planets #Science #Space #Stars #Suedsternwarte #telescopes #UK #UnitedKingdom #Universe #VLT #VLTI

Astronomers witness newborn planet sculpting the dust around it

Press Release 21 July 2025 Astronomers may have caught a still-forming planet in action, carving out an intricate…
#NewsBeep #News #Space #ALMA #Astronomie #Astronomy #Astrophysics #CA #Canada #Chile #comets #detectors #ELT #ESO #eso.org #galaxies #Garching #LaSilla #nebulae #NTT #Paranal #Planets #Science #Stars #Suedsternwarte #telescopes #universe #VLT #VLTI
https://www.newsbeep.com/ca/13592/

Astronomers witness newborn planet sculpting the dust around it

Press Release 21 July 2025 Astronomers may have caught a still-forming planet in action, carving out an intricate…
#NewsBeep #News #Space #ALMA #Astronomie #Astronomy #Astrophysics #CA #Canada #Chile #comets #detectors #ELT #ESO #eso.org #galaxies #Garching #LaSilla #nebulae #NTT #Paranal #Planets #Science #Stars #Suedsternwarte #telescopes #universe #VLT #VLTI
https://www.newsbeep.com/ca/13592/

Astronomers witness newborn planet sculpting the dust around it

Press Release 21 July 2025 Astronomers may have caught a still-forming planet in action, carving out an intricate…
#NewsBeep #News #Space #ALMA #Astronomie #Astronomy #Astrophysics #CA #Canada #Chile #comets #detectors #ELT #ESO #eso.org #galaxies #Garching #LaSilla #nebulae #NTT #Paranal #Planets #Science #Stars #Suedsternwarte #telescopes #universe #VLT #VLTI
https://www.newsbeep.com/ca/13592/

Astronomers witness newborn planet sculpting the dust around it

Press Release 21 July 2025 Astronomers may have caught a still-forming planet in action, carving out an intricate…
#NewsBeep #News #Space #ALMA #Astronomie #Astronomy #Astrophysics #CA #Canada #Chile #comets #detectors #ELT #ESO #eso.org #galaxies #Garching #LaSilla #nebulae #NTT #Paranal #Planets #Science #Stars #Suedsternwarte #telescopes #universe #VLT #VLTI
https://www.newsbeep.com/ca/13592/

Oxygen discovered in most distant known galaxy
https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2507/
#ycombinator #ESO #eso_org #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Astronomie #Suedsternwarte #telescopes #detectors #comets #planets #stars #galaxies #nebulae #universe #NTT #VLT #VLTI #ALMA #ELT #La_Silla #Paranal #Garching #Chile

Oxygen discovered in most distant known galaxy
https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2507/
#ycombinator #ESO #eso_org #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Astronomie #Suedsternwarte #telescopes #detectors #comets #planets #stars #galaxies #nebulae #universe #NTT #VLT #VLTI #ALMA #ELT #La_Silla #Paranal #Garching #Chile

Oxygen discovered in most distant known galaxy
https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2507/
#ycombinator #ESO #eso_org #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Astronomie #Suedsternwarte #telescopes #detectors #comets #planets #stars #galaxies #nebulae #universe #NTT #VLT #VLTI #ALMA #ELT #La_Silla #Paranal #Garching #Chile

Oxygen discovered in most distant known galaxy
https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2507/
#ycombinator #ESO #eso_org #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Astronomie #Suedsternwarte #telescopes #detectors #comets #planets #stars #galaxies #nebulae #universe #NTT #VLT #VLTI #ALMA #ELT #La_Silla #Paranal #Garching #Chile