NASA
Nasa Space Science Data Archive: Stardust Comet Sample Return Mission
A rendezvous with a comet was the goal for NASA's Stardust mission. Read about the mission and the comet here.
NASA
Nasa Space Science Data Archive: Giotto Mission
This site from the National Space Science Data Center provides information on the Giotto mission which was designed to study Comet P/Halley. The spacecraft encountered Halley on March 13, 1986 and approached to within 600 km. This page...
NASA
Nasa Space Science Data Archive: Comet Fact Sheet
This comet fact sheet, supplied by the NSSDC, provides a table of information on selected comets, complete with commentary when appropriate. Includes details of missions to observe these comets.
University of Oxford (UK)
Mhs/oxford Virtual Science Walk/halley's House
A description of the home of Edmond Halley with some biographical details. Includes details of his life as Astronomer Royal.
Read Works
Read Works: Nasa Stardust Review
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about NASA's probe, Stardust, which recently completed a seven-year journey to explore space and collect particles. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in...
Nine Planets
The Nine Planets: Comets
A detailed description of comets, their distinct parts, and the known comets in our solar system. Links are also provided for additional information on related subjects.
NASA
Nasa: Space Place: All About Comets
Learn about comets: Where do comets come from? What brings comets near Earth? What makes comets look fuzzy? What do comets look like up close? What's inside a comet? Why do comets have tails?
Space.com
Space.com: Comets Data Sheet
This resource explains what comets are, where they come from, and how comets can cause meteor showers.
Space.com
Space.com: Stardust Heads for Comet
This resource provides an article on the Stardust space probe and how it snags burning particles from comets and returns them to earth. Mainly discusses the "Gravity boost," planet earth gave the probe as it began searching for a comet.
NASA
Nasa Star Child: Comets (Level 1)
Younger students learn why comets race through the sky as well as related vocabulary words and meanings.
NASA
Nasa: Latest Conclusions of the Comet Collision
This site from NASA allows one to read the reports by scientists of what we learned from observing the giant collision of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter. Some are very technical, others for general audiences.
NASA
Nasa: Top 20 Comet Shoemaker Levy Images
This site from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration provides the most popular images at the JPL Comet Shoemaker-Levy home page during the month of July 1994, when the comet was impacting Jupiter.
NASA
Nasa: Hubble Observations Shed Light on Jupiter Impact
Scientists continue to learn from their observations long after the largest collision in history was recorded. Was Comet SL-9 actually an asteroid? What were the dark impact clouds made of? What were the effects on Jupiter's magnetic field?
NASA
Nasa: Stardust: Be a Spacecraft Engineer
Some interesting projects for students interested in the space program.
NASA
Nasa: Comet Shoemaker Levy 9 Collision With Jupiter
This site from NASA provides information on the Shoemaker-Levy collision which, even though the impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter happened in 1994, it continues to make news. Read the latest information related to the...
NASA
Nasa: Planetary Photojournal
This NASA site provides access to publicly released images from various Solar System exploration programs.
NASA
Nasa: Stardust
This site provides information regarding the NASA mission to understand and protect our planet.
Other
S F Austin State University /Jupiter Comet Collision
Excellent links to books, images, videos, and articles about the collision of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter. Also links to a short page about Gene Shoemaker, one of the team who discovered the comet.
Other
Seds Usa: Charles Messier
Charles Messier (1730-1817 CE) is credited for discovering 13 comets. He also began the Catalog of Nebulae and Star Clusters. This catalog as well as a great deal of information on Messier is available here. The Messier objects are also...
Other
Stephen F. Austin State University: Jupiter Events
An excellent site for amateur astronomers, with or without a telescope. Includes some links to information about Jupiter and its satellites and the collision of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9
Space Telescope Science Institute
Amazing Space: Comets
Amazing Science provides teachers with facts about comets that they can use as a reference or to stimulate class discussion. The science questions support the lesson's activities.
NASA
Nasa: Paper Comet Model With a Deep Impact [Pdf]
If you're interested in making a comet model from common household items, check out these instructions.
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation: News in Science: Piece of Dinosaur Extinction Asteroid Puzzle Recovered
The first meteorite fossil discovered in this period when tests can be run on it, was found at Chicxulub in Northeastern Yucatan, Mexico. Scientists believe it is part of the meteorite which made the dinosaurs extinct.
University of California
Center for Science Education: Gallery
A gallery of astronomy images which depict galaxies, comets, the moon, planets, nebulae, supernovae as seen in various regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Each image in the gallery is described. Fascinating!