The comet 96P/Machholz 1, measuring 3.7 miles wide, is believed to have originated from beyond our solar system and is currently being tracked by the NASA-European Space Agency’s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory spacecraft. This comet is on its way towards the sun within the orbit of Mercury, leaving a trail of ice behind it as it moves. As comets near the sun, the gas in their tails, along with frozen clumps of ice and gas, is heated by solar radiation and slowly trickles out. In 2008, a study of 150 comets showed that 96P/Machholz 1 contained low levels of cyanogen … Continue reading 96P/Machholz 1: A Mysterious Comet from Beyond Our Solar System