Comet Makes Spectacular Galactic Flyby

A NASA probe recently spotted the dazzling Pan-STARRS comet as it hurtled through space against the backdrop of a distant galaxy.

Pan-STARRS is a fresh visitor from the outer solar system that lit up night skies last spring as it made one of its first approaches toward the sun. Officially christened comet C/2012 K1, it was discovered a few years ago by the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System, or Pan-STARRS, in Hawaii.
NASA released a stunning new series of images of Comet Pan-STARRS captured by the NEOWISE mission on May 20, 2014, when Pan-STARRS was 143 million miles (230 million kilometers) away from Earth.