Comet Holmes brightened suddenly and dramatically last week, going from total obscurity to naked-eye brightness that rivaled some of the brighter stars in the sky. But without a tail, the gas and dust ejected by the comet left it looking like no more than a fuzzy tennis ball through backyard telescopes. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Scientists are tracking the violent convulsions in the giant cloud of gas and dust that gave birth to the solar system 4.5 billion years ago via a few tiny particles from comet Wild 2. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

An innovative plan to retrieve comet particles from earth's stratosphere has hit pay dirt, with the discovery that some predate the formation of the solar system. picked by AutumnLotus 7 months ago

On April 20, 2007, the comet had just dipped inside the orbit of Mercury, perilously close to the sun, when a solar eruption struck and literally tore the comet's tail off. NASA's STEREO-A probe recorded a fantastic movie of the collision. picked by misswinkle 2 years ago

A comet that has delighted backyard astronomers in recent weeks after an unexpected eruption has now grown larger than the sun. The sun remains by far the most massive object in the solar system, with an extended influence of particles that reaches all the planets. But the comparatively tiny Comet Holmes has released so much gas and dust that its extended atmosphere, or coma, is larger than the di... read full post picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Sails to catch the Solar Wind has been a science-fiction staple for many years. The photons streaming from the sun do have a bit of pressure. It is tiny, but it adds up and in the vacuum of space it is sufficient to propel a vehicle. What's more the energy is free and unlimited. picked by 2manyusernames 1 year ago

The planet Mercury's magnetic field appears to be strong enough to fend off the harsh solar wind from most of its surface, according to data gathered in part by a University of Michigan instrument onboard NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

The sun's next cycle of increased activity might have begun last week, according to a NASA scientist. Solar activity waxes and wanes on an 11-year cycle. During the peak, the last of which occurred in 2001 and 2002, sunspots are common and solar storms frequent. The storms, which pummel Earth with charged particles, can knock out satellites and occasionally disrupt radio and even power transmissio... read full post picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Plasma astrophysicists at the University of Warwick have found that key information about the Sun's 'storm season' is being broadcast across the solar system in a fractal snapshot imprinted in the solar wind. picked by AutumnLotus 3 years ago

After 18.6 years in space and defying several earlier expectations of its demise, the joint ESA/NASA solar orbiter Ulysses will achieve 'end of mission' on 30 June 2009. picked by kakana 5 months ago

Skywatchers throughout the Northern Hemisphere report the newly visible Comet Holmes is a remarkable sight even under city lights. The comet, described in glowing terms by many observers, should continue to be visible to the naked eye for at least the next few weeks. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Using the Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) instruments on board NASA's Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft, a consortium of scientists has seen, for the first time, large waves of solar material sweeping past Earth. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

The name of the mission is Solar Probe+. It's designed to plunge deep into the sun's atmosphere sampling solar wind and magnetism. Launch could happen as early as 2015. Planners believe it will solve two great mysteries of astrophysics and make many new discoveries along the way. picked by 2manyusernames 1 year ago

This is turning into the best comet in decades, especially for viewers in the Southern Hemisphere. Viewers north of the equator can still see it, but only in daylight. This is a follow-on to this Plime link. picked by Fanatic 3 years ago

The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) has spotted an unusual comet that flies around the sun at regular intervals. Dubbed P/2007 R5 (SOHO), the object belongs to a rare class of comets called periodic comets. Only 190 of the thousands of known comets are periodic. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

"Asteroids seem to get a 'sun tan' very quickly," says lead author Pierre Vernazza. "But not, as for people, from an overdose of the Sun's ultraviolet radiation, but from the effects of its powerful wind." picked by AutumnLotus 7 months ago

As I explained to AutumnLotus in this post, I have always wanted a tail. And I thought I was all alone until I found out these instructions on how to build an animatronic tail that wags. Also check out video and Tiger Tail How-To. Awesome. picked by MissWinkle 1 year ago

A plethora of latest results from the Hinode solar observatory contains a wealth of new discoveries. This includes the discovery of a source of the slow solar wind and the observation of a superhot micro flare. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has probed the bright core of Comet 17P/Holmes which, to the delight of sky watchers, mysteriously brightened by nearly a million-fold in a 24-hour period beginning October 23, 2007. VIDEOS included. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Amateur astronomers saw only a fuzzy patch of light when Comet 8P/Tuttle made its closest approach to the Earth on 2 January. But astronomers using the world's largest radio dish, the Arecibo telescope in Puerto Rico, got a much more detailed, and surprising, view: The comet's nucleus resembled a peanut, suggesting it formed when two comets collided and stuck together. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago