A computer-generated image of Venus SCIEPRO/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
A comet approaching the sun from the outer solar system might sweep a trail of dust particles over the planet Venus when it swings into the inner reaches of our planetary neighbourhood this December.
On 18 December, Comet will zip past Venus at what is, in astronomical terms, a hair’s-breadth distance of just 4.3 million kilometres. As Venus continues on its orbital path, it will move through a swathe of space close to where the comet was about 72 hours earlier.
Computer modelling suggests this region could contain…
