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Comets are "snowballs" of ice and dust that formed during the birth of our solar system and have orbited the sun since. Live Science brings you the latest comet news, features and articles as astronomers track these extraordinary objects. From the city-sized comet that grew "horns" to the mega comet that may be the largest seen in recorded history, our expert writers and editors will tell you everything you need to know about them, and how to observe them when they're visible from Earth.
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Latest about Comets
'RIP, Comet MAPS': Watch the superbright sungrazer become a 'headless wonder' after being ripped apart by the sun
New images show the sungrazer comet C/2026 A1 (MAPS) did not survive its close approach to our home star. Instead, the celestial object briefly turned into a "headless wonder" before fully disintegrating.
How to see Comet PanSTARRS as it brightens in the night sky this week
Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) could be visible to the naked eye in the predawn sky after April 13 as it makes a close approach to the sun.
Rare 'sungrazer' comet MAPS could appear brighter than ever on Saturday: What to know
Comet C/2026 A1 (MAPS) could shine brightly in the evenings after April 4, but only if it survives a very close encounter with the sun.
'Farting' comet seen reversing its spin for the first time ever
A new analysis of archival Hubble Space Telescope photos reveals that a peculiar comet slowed its spin before fully reversing its rotational direction via "outgassing" during a flyby of Earth in 2017.
'Interstellar messenger' 3I/ATLAS could be nearly as old as the universe itself, James Webb telescope observations reveal
The comet formed in a cold and distant part of the early Milky Way up to 12 billion years ago, potentially putting it just under 2 billion years the age of the universe.
Scientists propose new plan to 'catch' comet 3I/ATLAS — but we have to act fast
A new study explores the challenges of catching interstellar comets like comet 3I/ATLAS
City-size, cold-volcano comet transforms into a glowing 'snail shell' after major explosive outburst
Following a massive cryovolcanic eruption, the mysterious Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann has been morphed into a giant spiral and is now shining 100 times brighter than normal.
Newly visible, city-size 'green comet' will soon be ejected into interstellar space — just like 3I/ATLAS
Comet Wierzchoś, also known as C/2024 E1, is rapidly brightening as it approaches its closest point to Earth next week. But experts predict it will eventually be thrown out of the solar system forever, just like the "alien" comet 3I/ATLAS.
NASA telescope spots the building blocks for life spewing out of comet 3I/ATLAS
NASA's SPHEREx space telescope detected organic molecules coming off comet 3I/ATLAS as the interstellar visitor made its closest approach to Earth in December.
New 'sungrazing' comet could become visible to the naked eye during the day — if the sun doesn't destroy it
The newly discovered sungrazing comet C/2026 A1 (MAPS) will undergo an extremely close slingshot around our star in early April, and could become bright enough to be seen without a telescope during the day.
