June 16, 2022
Near Sun object 323P/SOHO

Maunakea Observatories Help Catch a Comet Disintegrating

Using the Subaru telescope on Maunakea, astronomers have discovered a Jupiter-like planet in the Three Maunakea telescopes (Subaru, CFHT and Gemini) played key, complementary parts in capturing the first ever images of a rocky comet (named 323P/SOHO) breaking apart close to the Sun. This helps to explain why so few near-Sun comets are observed. Read Read more, in the Subaru […]
January 15, 2020

First Ground-Based Detection of Complex Organic Molecules in a Comet

A team of astronomers have used the Subaru telescope on Maunakea to detect the presence of complex organic molecules from a comet (Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner) in our solar system. Comets are made mostly of ice and dust, both of which are remnants from the early Solar System. The discovery that complex organic molecules like amino acids can exist in comets suggests […]