Comet Encke and the Taurid meteor shower are thought to be the remnants of a far larger comet that broke apart over the last 20,000 to 30,000 years, according to RMG. Additional information .

But these should be no ordinary photos. The satellite, called CONTOUR--for Comet Nucleus Tour--will plunge into the comet's inner "coma" at a speed of about 63,000 mph and grab shots of Encke's ...

Comet Encke is the so-called parent comet of the Taurid meteors. It’s relatively small, just over 3 miles (almost 5 kilometers) in diameter, and crosses inside Earth’s orbit and back out every ...

While Encke's comet was discovered in 1786 by French astronomer Pierre F. A. Mechain, the comet was named after German astronomer Johann Franz Encke who calculated its orbit, according to NASA.

Aside from Halley’s Comet, Comet Encke is the most famous and richest in history. IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Comet Encke was first discovered in 1786, though its orbit wasn’t calculated until 1819 by Johann Franz Encke, the comet’s namesake, according to NASA.

The Northern Taurids, which became active last month, will peak Monday and Tuesday night this week as the Earth intersects with debris left by comet Encke—a periodic comet that orbits the sun ...

Thought by some astronomers to be a piece of a larger comet that broke up tens of thousands of years ago, Encke has the shortest orbital period of any known comet within the solar system, taking 3 ...

Taurid meteor shower will peak on Monday The North and South Taurids occur every year in September, October, and November. They may have originated from a comet that broke up about 10,000 years ago.

As Comet Encke passes through our solar system, fragments of it enter Earth's atmosphere at incredibly fast speeds and create fireballs. During this time, ...