Comets | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/comets/RSS feed for CometsenFri, 08 May 2026 14:00:00 +0000This Tiny Celestial Body Past Pluto Shouldn't Have an Atmosphere—but Astronomers Say They May Have Detected Onehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-tiny-celestial-body-past-pluto-shouldnt-have-an-atmosphere-but-astronomers-say-they-may-have-detected-one-180988690/Worlds this small and distant are thought to be too cold and have too little surface gravity to hold onto gases. But the findings suggest that icy, rocky objects in the solar system's outer reaches are more dynamic than we thoughtFri, 08 May 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-tiny-celestial-body-past-pluto-shouldnt-have-an-atmosphere-but-astronomers-say-they-may-have-detected-one-180988690/The Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower Peaks This Week, but a Bright Moon Might Spoil the Showhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-eta-aquarid-meteor-shower-peaks-this-week-but-a-bright-moon-might-spoil-the-show-180988669/This annual event, which peaks on the night of May 5 into the next morning, comes from the trail of debris left by Halley's comet. It's best viewed from the Southern Hemisphere, but skywatchers in the north can catch a glimpseMon, 04 May 2026 20:48:17 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-eta-aquarid-meteor-shower-peaks-this-week-but-a-bright-moon-might-spoil-the-show-180988669/Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Came From an Extremely Cold, Lonely Region of the Milky Way Galaxy, New Research Suggestshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/interstellar-comet-3i-atlas-came-from-an-extremely-cold-lonely-region-of-the-milky-way-galaxy-new-research-suggests-180988625/Astronomers analyzed the vapors coming off the comet when it neared the sun and found it had a lot of "heavy" water. That hints it grew up in a frigid planetary system, possibly before its home star formedMon, 27 Apr 2026 19:26:47 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/interstellar-comet-3i-atlas-came-from-an-extremely-cold-lonely-region-of-the-milky-way-galaxy-new-research-suggests-180988625/Look Up This Week to See the Peak of the Lyrid Meteor Shower. Humans Have Documented This Dazzling Annual Display for 2,700 Yearshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/look-up-this-week-to-see-the-peak-of-the-lyrid-meteor-shower-humans-have-documented-this-dazzling-display-for-2700-years-180988578/During the wee hours of April 22, moonset times will give stargazers in much of the United States a solid stretch of dark sky before sunriseMon, 20 Apr 2026 19:48:37 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/look-up-this-week-to-see-the-peak-of-the-lyrid-meteor-shower-humans-have-documented-this-dazzling-display-for-2700-years-180988578/