We have known for a while that asteroid 3200 Phaethon acts like a comet. It brightens and forms a tail when it's near the Sun, and it is the source of the annual Geminid meteor shower, even though ...

Skywatchers have a treat coming early this week, starting with a meteor shower late Monday night, and a couple of comets that ...

A closer looks at Mercury's tail. A closer looks at Mercury's tail. Mercury has been spotted cosplaying as a comet over the last few days when the sun's neighboring planet reached its nearest point to ...

An illustration of the Phaethon asteroid as it orbits closely to the Sun. Illustration: NASA A comet-like asteroid has been flaunting a tail of material as it approaches the Sun. But unlike its ...

Comets aren't the only celestial object that can carve a stunning tail across the sky, as pictures snapped of Mercury as it passed close to the sun show a long tail dragging out behind the planet. The ...

An intriguing new celestial object known as Comet Nishimura is enduring a bumpy ride through the inner solar system despite having its tail torn off by an outburst from the sun. Japanese amateur ...

NASA has taken to its YouTube channel to post a video answering the question, "What's the Difference Between Asteroids, Comets, and Meteors?". Space can be quite confusing to those that aren't ...

The first meteor shower of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, the Lyrids, will peak overnight on Monday, April 21-22. This year, the annual meteor shower will peak in virtually moonless night skies, ...

Scientists thought asteroid Phaethon, which is the source of the Geminid meteor shower, was shedding dust to form a comet-like tail, but NASA solar observatories show the tail isn't dusty. A weird ...

Mercury's comet-like tail is made predominantly of sodium ions. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Mercury has been spotted ...

This illustration depicts asteroid Phaethon being heated by the Sun. The asteroid's surface gets so hot that sodium inside Phaethon's rock likely vaporizes and vents into space, causing it to brighten ...