"There may be more objects like this out there. This could be a significant fraction of the nearest population." When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Up to 60% of near-Earth objects could be dark comets, mysterious asteroids that orbit the sun in our solar system that likely contain or previously contained ice and could have been one route for ...

A strange class of space rock known as a "dark comet" has qualities of both asteroids and comets — and the hard-to-spot objects may pose a larger threat to Earth than we thought, according to new ...

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s an asteroid-comet hybrid called a ‘centaur’ that might not even be that. Asteroids are metallic rocks that form close to the sun, while comets are dirty snowballs ...

Main-belt comets (MBCs) and active asteroids represent a fascinating intersection of cometary and asteroidal physics. These bodies, residing within the main asteroid belt, occasionally exhibit ...

A NASA space telescope designed to “hunt” asteroids and comets that could pose a threat to life on Earth and orbiting spacecraft will soon burn up in orbit. In late 2024 or early 2025, the agency’s ...

James is a published author with multiple pop-history and science books to his name. He specializes in history, space, strange science, and anything out of the ordinary.View full profile James is a ...

Last week, NASA decommissioned a nearly 15-year-old spacecraft that discovered 400 near-Earth asteroids and comets, closing an important chapter in the agency’s planetary defense program. From its ...

UCF researchers used the James Webb Space Telescope to reveal one-of-a-kind attributes of (2060) Chiron, a distant “centaur” in space sharing properties of both a comet and an asteroid, giving clues ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Centaurs are real. In space, that is. These celestial objects orbit ...

Each December, the Geminids meteor shower paints the sky with spectacular streaks of light. The source of this stunning display is 3200 Phaethon, an asteroid unlike any other. This space rock is ...