... What's New? Bad Astronomy . ... News . ... Bitesize Astronomy . ... This time, they are reporting -- as straight news -- a story that on May 25 of this year a comet fragment will impact the Earth . ... Comets are giant hunks of ice and rock , and when they get near the Sun the ice turns into a gas and creates the long tail. ... However, the fragments of Schwassmann-Wachmann are all still pretty close together. ... While that's close as comet passes go, that's still a long way. ... 2008 Phil Plait. ...