comets

An artist's impression of the Rosetta spacecraft shortly before hitting Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on Sept. 30.

A scientist and her team wish their Rosetta comet probe a bittersweet farewell

Technology

“It’s a celebration. It’s a wake," said space scientist Monica Grady. "We said goodbye to a dear friend."

A scientist and her team wish their Rosetta comet probe a bittersweet farewell
Comet Lovejoy has probably passed through the inner solar system at least once already—we just weren't alive to see it.

Look hard and you can see Comet Lovejoy lighting up the night sky

Science
Look hard and you can see Comet Lovejoy lighting up the night sky
An artist's impression of ESA's Rosetta approaching comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The comet image was taken on August 2, 2014, by the spacecraft's navigation camera at a distance of about 500 km. The spacecraft and comet are not to scale.

Scientists prepare for a historic landing on a 'seething and sputtering and spitting' comet

Science
Scientists prepare for a historic landing on a 'seething and sputtering and spitting' comet