# Comet Austin's Unpredictable Cosmic Debut
Published: December 17, 2025
Duration: 1:39
# This is your Astronomy Tonight podcast.
Welcome back, stargazers! Today we're celebrating December 17th—a date that marks one of the most delightfully quirky milestones in the history of space exploration!
On December 17th, 1989, the Astrometrics team discovered something absolutely fascinating: **Comet Austin (C/1989 X1)** made its closest approach to Earth. But here's where it gets really fun—this comet became known as the "Great Comet of 1990" and managed to pull off something quite remarkable. Just when astronomers thought they had its trajectory all figured out, this cosmic ice ball threw everyone a curveball! It actually *brig...
Welcome back, stargazers! Today we're celebrating December 17th—a date that marks one of the most delightfully quirky milestones in the history of space exploration!
On December 17th, 1989, the Astrometrics team discovered something absolutely fascinating: **Comet Austin (C/1989 X1)** made its closest approach to Earth. But here's where it gets really fun—this comet became known as the "Great Comet of 1990" and managed to pull off something quite remarkable. Just when astronomers thought they had its trajectory all figured out, this cosmic ice ball threw everyone a curveball! It actually *brig...