Tag Archives: comet

Protecting Our Home

History is doomed to repeat itself. Will we be ready? Around 66 million years ago, an object estimated to be around 10km wide struck Earth at incredibly high speeds. The energy released was equivalent to roughly 100 million megatons of TNT. The impact, then, released over 6.5 billion times more energy than the catastrophically powerful […] Continue reading

Posted in Class, Physics, Science | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Protecting Our Home

Halley’s Comet

I used measurements from Halley’s Comet for the impact homework, so I wanted to learn more about it. It certainly has name recognition, but I wanted to learn more about it. I found some great information from NASA that I figured I would share. Halley’s Comet is named after an astronomer by the name of […] Continue reading

Posted in Class, Historical, Observables | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Halley’s Comet

Blog 5: Comets

Comets are relatively small bodies in our solar system comprised of dust, rock, gases, and ice. They are remnants from the formation of the solar system, and their solid bodies, or nuclei, can range from a few miles to dozens of miles wide. When its orbit gets close to the sun, this nucleus heats up […] Continue reading

Posted in Class, Small SS Objects | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Blog 5: Comets

C/2014 UN2071: Largest Discovered Comet

Scientists in the past week have confirmed the size of the largest comet ever discovered. It is measured to stretch over 80 miles wide (wider than the state of Rhode Island) and weigh 500 trillion tons- 100,000x more than the typical comet. The comet was originally discovered back in 2014 when it was still 3Continue reading “C/2014 UN2071: Largest Discovered Comet” Continue reading

Posted in Class | Tagged , , | Comments Off on C/2014 UN2071: Largest Discovered Comet

Comet Swift-Tuttle

Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle (which is unfortunately not named after Taylor Swift) is just one of the several thousand comets that are known to astronomers. The “P” in its name stands for “periodic comet”, which means that it has an orbital period of less than 200 years. It was separately discovered in 1862 by Lewis Swift andContinue reading “Comet Swift-Tuttle” Continue reading

Posted in Small SS Objects | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Comet Swift-Tuttle

The Journeyman of ALL Comets

In the past few weeks, scientists have revealed a major discovery about details from a comet that we have now identified came from an entirely different Solar System! This comet has been deemed as, “more pristine,” than any other comets examined by scientists, simply from the properties of its origin. (Independent) The comet has beenContinue reading “The Journeyman of ALL Comets” Continue reading

Posted in Class, Historical, Light | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Journeyman of ALL Comets

Comets as Omens of the Future

Comets have been noticed by ancient civilizations for millenia, and, like many other celestial bodies, were viewed as omens of the future. Comets in particular were considered bad omens. The most famous example is Halley’s Comet, seen in 1066 by the English and theorized to have been an omen for Harold II of England’s death. … Continue reading Comets as Omens of the Future Continue reading

Posted in Class, Historical, Stars | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Comets as Omens of the Future

Halley’s Comet

In 2061, Halley’s Comet will return to pass by Earth in 75-year long round trip across the solar system. But what else do we know about this mysterious visitor? Studying the reports of comet sightings in 1531, 1607, and 1682, Edmond Halley deduced that these comets were in fact the same one and that it … Continue reading Halley’s Comet Continue reading

Posted in Universe | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Halley’s Comet

The Comet Time Forgot… Until Now

A stone carving at a major archaeological site suggests a comet struck Earth thousands of years ago and started an ice age. Göbekli Tepe is an archaeological site located in modern-day Turkey.  Built before Stonehenge, it served as an ancient temple site and religious center where multiple people would gather, but it also seemed to have been an astronomy … Continue reading The Comet Time Forgot… Until Now Continue reading

Posted in Class | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Comet Time Forgot… Until Now

The Hale-Bopp Comet

Comet Hale-Bopp, also known as the The Great Comet of 1997, was a comet that appeared in – you guessed it – 1997. It was first discovered in 1995 by both Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp, after whom it was named. It was first visible in mid 1996, but did not reach its brightest until […] Continue reading

Posted in Observables, Small SS Objects | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Hale-Bopp Comet