Solar System - Small bodies of Solar System Topics
Halley's comet returns in bits and pieces
1998 — April 6, 2011
Bits of Halley's comet make a reappearance Oct 21 and 22 during the the 1998 Orionids meteor shower. Debris particles from Halley will strike the Earth's atmosphere at 90,000 mph and cause as many as 20 shooting stars per hour.
Up, Up, and Away to the Leonids
1998 — April 6, 2011
Science Balloon Captures Eight Fireballs on Video from 100,000 Feet Up.
Bunches of Geminids
1998 — April 6, 2011
Last weekend observers around the globe were treated to one of the strongest Geminid meteor showers ever. Next year could be even better. This article includes a video clip of Geminid and Leonid Meteorsstreaking through the constellation Orion.
The Leonid Sample Return Mission
1998 — April 6, 2011
NASA Scientists hope to capture a Leonid meteoroid to look for the stuff of life in comet Tempel-Tuttle.
NEAR spacecraft may find asteroid needs dusting
1998 — April 6, 2011
Scientists at Marshall think that Asteroidsmay scoop up dust from space over the eons, giving themselves dust blankets up to a meter thick. Asteroids, too small to exert enough gravity to capture the dust, may instead attract it with static electricity, providing a storehouse of primordial matter in the solar system and suggesting an intriguing twist on planetary formation theory.
The Ghost of Fireballs Past
1998 — April 6, 2011
Amateur radio operators capture eerie-sounding radar echos from Geminid and Leonid meteors.
NASA spacecraft take cover from the Leonids
1998 — April 6, 2011
But the Hubble space telescope will keep on observing.
Bugs on the Windshield
1998 — April 6, 2011
NASA Scientists are launching an airborne mission over Japan to look for the stuff of life in Leonids meteors.
January's chilly meteors
1998 — April 6, 2011
The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks on Jan. 3 1999
Early Birds catch the Leonids
1998 — April 6, 2011
Shower peak occurred more than 14 hours ahead of schedule.