NASA image pairs a colorful meteor with Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS), which likely did not produce it
Published
In a featured astronomy photo, NASA shows a meteor streaking in front of Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) and says the two are probably not connected.
A featured NASA space image shows a multicolored meteor in front of Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS), though NASA says the comet probably did not produce it, per NASA's image page.
Photographed in April from Hautacam, France, the comet showed a blue ion tail and a dust tail and sat far behind the meteor.
NASA says tying a meteor to one specific comet is hard, since thousands of comets have recently passed through the inner Solar System.
Three November showers peak soon, NASA reports: the Southern Taurids within days and the Northern Taurids about a week later, both from Comet 2P/Encke, then the Leonids, from Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, in about two weeks.
Why it matters
The picture shows that a comet and a meteor caught in one frame need not be linked, even though NASA notes that many meteors do come from comets.
Claims & sources
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According to NASA, the meteor in the photo likely did not come from the comet shown, since thousands of comets have recently passed through the inner Solar System and linking a meteor to a particular comet is difficult.
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NASA says Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) was imaged in April from Hautacam, France, with a blue ion tail and a dust tail, far behind the meteor, and that the Southern and Northern Taurids, from Comet 2P/Encke, and the Leonids, from Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, peak in November.
Original sources
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