16 May 2016

Astronomers at the Planetary Science Institute made observations two short period comets that passed relatively close to Earth on consecutive days. PSI Senior Scientist Jian-Yang observed Comet 252P/LINEAR with the Hubble Space Telescope during its March 21 close encounter, while PSI Research Scientist Vishnu Reddy observed Comet Pan-STARRS (P/2016 BA14) March 22 using the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) on Mauna Kea, Hawai’i.

"It is an extremely rare opportunity to be able to study a pair of comets with historically close flybys. Measuring the physical properties of both comets will help us understand the evolution of comets in general," Li said.
Above, Comet 252P/LINEAR safely flew past Earth on March 21, 2016, at a range of about 3.3 million miles (5.2 million kilometers). The following day, comet P/2016 BA14 safely passed by our planet at a distance of about 2.2 million miles (3.5 million kilometers).