Comet Encke swings around the Sun as seen by solar observatory

Comet Encke swings around the Sun as seen by solar observatory

For the past couple of days, Comet 2P/Encke is visible through the eyes of ESA/NASA solar observatory SOHO as it swings around the Sun. The comet made its closest approach to the Sun – perihelion – at 02:11 UTC on March 10, 2017. Encke is a periodic comet that…

Unique cosmic coincidence – comets Encke and ISON to fly by Mercury

Unique cosmic coincidence – comets Encke and ISON to fly by Mercury

Comet Encke will fly by Mercury within 0.025 AU (3.74 million km) on November 18, 2013 and only a day later, Comet ISON will pass it at 0.24 AU. This is a unique cosmic coincidence and NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft, which is orbiting the planet,