Comet Catalina, which has been making its approach to Earth since November, was expected to be closer to the Earth on New Year’s Day than it ever has been, and give us an even more spectacular view by January 17.

The comet which is green with two tails, is steadily making its first and only trip through the inner solar system, according to cbc.ca. Spectators were expected to have clear visibility of the comet on the morning of January 1, since it had moved higher in the sky.

Those waiting to see it at night, January 1, probably had a more difficult time because of a bright quarter moon, according to the Royal Asrtonomical Society of Canada member Michael Watson.

As a consolation, he indicated January 8 through 10 will present another opportunity for viewing “when there will be no moon in the early morning sky and the comet will be very close to the earth.”

Ottawa-based astronomer, Gary Boyle recommended setting a digital camera’s ISO to 1600 and using a 30 second exposure, would be spectators’ best chance of getting “impressive shots of the comet,” since spotting the comet’s two tails with naked eye would be difficult.

Boyle said those who had been following the comet for several weeks with binoculars would have seen a “fuzzy blob in the sky, a bit of color to it, little bit green.” Astronomers had hoped that it would have been more visible once it crossed the sun and although that had not yet happened, they predicted the comet would get brighter once it had an “outburst of dust and gas.”

Comet Catalina is thought to have originated from a region full of icy objecst emitting from the Oort cloud. It has since passed the sun with a current path “expected to permanently eject from the solar system.

Planetary science fans may be disheartened to learn that NASA’s planned March 2016 launch of the Insight mission to Mars has been canceled due to concerns over its functionality.

According to cnbc.com, the exploration was to have been of the Red Planet’s seismic activity. However, scientists are hopeful that a review of the instruments and a fix of whatever is wrong will move the Insight forward for a launch in two years.

Despite the disappointing news of the cancellation, NASA has enjoyed a great year. A 2015 year in review takes us back to many memorable moments.

Recently, Boeing and Space X were two awarded contracts to fly commercially supplied crew missions to the International Space Station, as well as a contract to build spacecraft that could transport space crews and cargo to the ISS. These packages represent  three of four guaranteed contracts.

NASA officials are raving about two rockets which were successfully launched and brought to Earth intact by the Space X and Blue Origin companies, making reuse of the vessels possible and the savings astronomical. Normally, rockets destruct on landing.

Among other achievements in space exploration this year: scientists received the clearest images ever recorded with NASA’s launch of  the New Horizons mission around Pluto. Although Pluto is farther from became the first Earth than many other planets, it is the only planet that gives gives scientists more clues about Earth’s formation. Near Pluto, dwarf planet Ceres received some recognition after the Dawn spacecraft traveled 3.1 billion miles to orbit the planet, a first ever feat.

NASA discovered strong evidence Mars may have flowing water; another planet has been discovered in the “habitable zone” and has existed for six billion years and might be “hosptiable for life”, according to NASA; Hubble, the spacecraft has marked its 25th year of sending stunning space image to Earth; and Saturn’s icy moon, one of 62, has also had a flyby from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft.

A team of scientists have published findings from a study that determines whether future land use in certain compromised regions would be safe. The study comprised by a team from the by the University of Washington determined that a landslide in Oso, Oregon was not an outlier.

The region which was wiped out by the worst landslide in U.S. history “… was well known as an area of hillslope instability, mynorthwest.com quoted co-author Alison Duvall. Duvall, an assistant professor of earth and space sciences said it was important to know whether “the larger slides (were) thousands of years old, or hundreds of years old.'”

Based on her team’s research Duvall said they were certain many were hundreds of years old.  Their study, commissioned by The National Science Foundation, the Geological Society of America, and the University of Washington Quaternary Research Center  was published in the journal of Geology. In their review of erosion characteristics they were able to determine that slopes focused on in their study averaged collapses every 500 years, and an astounding feature was that in the past millennium collapses occurred with a frequency of about 140 years.For the study the university geologists used radiocarbon to date debris from branches and trees found buried from previous landslides.

Studies from nearby regions also showed landslides having occurred between 300 to 694 years according to the team, “the study disproves the notion that the previous slides in the area all occurred thousands of years ago after the ice sheets retreated.” Last year’s landslide in Oso killed 43 people after wiping out a neighborhood north of Seattle, down a hillside above the north fork of the Stillaguamish River. In the study the team concluded the landslide was not an outlier as previously thought.