The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) was launched into space in 1995, and the joint NASA and European Space Agency project is still offering up new discoveries today. All that time staring at the Sun has taught astronomers a lot about our home star. However, as of June, the space telescope has also now spotted some 4,000 comets. The mission has become the most successful comet hunter in history. It’s more than doubled the number of known comets found over the preceding several centuries.
That success is born on the work of citizen scientists who volunteer with The Sungrazer Project. Most of the icy objects discovered so far come from a family of so-called “sungrazer” comets, which skim the Sun’s outer atmosphere, making them visible in SOHO’s instruments.
Amateur astronomer volunteers from around the world use a guided program to go through SOHO images every day. As NASA scientists get reports of objects with the tell-tale proper location, brightness, speed and more, they send other telescopes to follow up on the potential find.While you’re helping scientists learn about new comets, the project also offers NASA educational materials to help volunteers of all ages learn about our solar system.
Kotobro on August 22nd, 2020 at 03:55 UTC »
I feel like if planet 9 were ever to be discovered, the perfect name for it would be Nyx, the Greek goddess of night.
annmarmos on August 22nd, 2020 at 03:50 UTC »
I failed college algebra should I send them my contact information
GayCyberpunkBowser on August 22nd, 2020 at 03:40 UTC »
I love how Planet 9 went from a crazy theory about aliens on earth to being a legitimate topic in science. I’ve heard some scientists think it’s another gas giant that was flung out during the formation of the solar system. I can’t remember the specifics but something about the orbits of the planets suggest that there must have been another gas giant in the solar system at some point.