×
GreekEnglish

×
  • Politics
  • Diaspora
  • World
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Cooking
Sunday
18
Jan 2026
weather symbol
Athens 7°C
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • World
  • Diaspora
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Mediterranean Cooking
  • Weather
Contact follow Protothema:
Powered by Cloudevo
> World

A comet nearing Earth could be one of the largest we’ve ever seen

Five years ago the comet was journeying between Saturn & Uranus but as it slowly nears us amateur astronomers have their scopes trained on it

Newsroom July 1 11:43

Comet C/2017 K2 (PanSTARRS) could be one of the largest we’ve ever spotted. Now, it’s drawing closer and closer to Earth, and is expected to be nearest to us on July 14.

At 172 miles from Earth and nearing, Comet K2 can already be seen through small telescopes. The best views should come around mid-July, when the comet reaches its nearest point to Earth, but you could still catch a glimpse of it well into September as it continues a run toward the sun in December, before orbiting away from Earth once more for millions of years.

First observed in 2017 by the Hawaiian-based Pan-STARRS survey instrument, it was the farthest-ever active inbound comet ever seen. At the time, NASA called it the most “primitive” as well, because it was spotted 1.5 billion miles from the sun. Five years ago, the comet was journeying between Saturn and Uranus, but as it slowly nears us, amateur astronomers in the Northern Hemisphere have their scopes trained on it.

See Also:

>Related articles

Trump threatens tariffs against those who oppose U.S. plans for Greenland

CIA chief in Venezuela meets with Rodriguez

Ballistic missile strike hits pier in Ukraine

Turkey’s concerns about PKK are not legitimate

The magnitude and behavior of Comet K2 isn’t fully known. Some astronomers believe its nucleus to be at least 11 miles wide, but others suggest it could be as large as 18 to 100 miles in diameter. Even in a conservative measurement, it could be one of the larger comets we’ve seen. In 2017, images from the Hubble Space Telescope showed off the features of this fuzzy snowball of a comet.

Read more: Popular Mechanics

Ask me anything

Explore related questions

#comet#earth#science#space#technology#world
> More World

Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news

See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr

> Latest Stories

War, diplomacy, or insurrection: What’s next in Iran

January 17, 2026

New tensions in the Middle East as Trump invites regional leaders to the Gaza Peace Council

January 17, 2026

Weather: A return to winter in the coming days – Cold and strong northerly winds – Kolydas’ post

January 17, 2026

A view of Nikolaos Stasinopoulos of Viohalco – The “enduring imprint” of Greece’s greatest industrialist

January 17, 2026

The horror of the “Tariff of the Dead”: how the Iranian regime prices the bodies of protesters

January 17, 2026

Mitsotakis on the Karystianou party: “There is a long distance between being the parent of a tragedy victim and being the leader of a political party”

January 17, 2026

Patras in carnival mode – This evening, the city’s official opening ceremony

January 17, 2026

Greenland as the first line ofdefense for the U.S. and NATO:

January 17, 2026
All News

> World

War, diplomacy, or insurrection: What’s next in Iran

The Iranian regime faces the most serious threat to its survival, despite the repression of protests - The possibility of a US strike remains on the table - The landscape for the next day is blurred

January 17, 2026

New tensions in the Middle East as Trump invites regional leaders to the Gaza Peace Council

January 17, 2026

The horror of the “Tariff of the Dead”: how the Iranian regime prices the bodies of protesters

January 17, 2026

Greenland as the first line ofdefense for the U.S. and NATO:

January 17, 2026

Changes at top universities: Oxford abolishes the term ‘doctores’ for inclusion reasons

January 17, 2026
Homepage
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY COOKIES POLICY TERM OF USE
Powered by Cloudevo
Copyright © 2026 Πρώτο Θέμα