Potentially dangerous comets could be spotted many years in advance by following the meteoroid trails they leave near Earth, new research shows.

Potentially deadly comets could be spotted many years in advance by following the meteoroid trails they leave near Earth, new research shows.

Asteroids, comets, and meteors differ in origin and behavior—remnants of our Solar System that sometimes create dazzling sights in Earth’s skies.

Those meteoroids co-orbit with the comet for a while and can later create meteor showers when they hit Earth's atmosphere. "We hypothesized that comets crumble into the sizes of the pebbles they ...

When a comet gets close to the Sun, it heats up and releases tiny particles—meteoroids. These follow the comet’s general path, forming narrow streams. But not every meteoroid moves the same way.

The Taurid Meteoroid Stream, which is possibly responsible for the famous Tunguska and Chelyabinsk impacts, probably doesn't hide a civilization-killing asteroid.

Stuart Pilorz and Peter Jenniskens of the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute in California wanted to track some of these meteoroid streams back to their parent comet.

The Perseid shower, which has been active since July 17, is “considered the best meteor shower of the year,” according to NASA. At its peak, viewers could see up to 100 streaks every hour, which is ...

Learn when and where to watch the 2025 Perseid meteor shower, with expert tips from NASA scientists for the best viewing ...

The meteoroid stream of long-period comet Thatcher (white line). Each meteoroid moved on its own orbit and created a Lyrid shower meteor when it hit Earth after approaching the orbit of Earth (blue ...

Your unusual chance to see a comet in the sky is here. C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS was discovered by astronomers in 2023 — and will appear to the naked eye over the next couple weeks.

The meteoroid stream of long-period comet Thatcher (white line). Each meteoroid moved on its own orbit and created a Lyrid shower meteor when it hit Earth after approaching the orbit of Earth ...