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"We hope to witness two atmospheres colliding," explains David Brain of the University of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP).  "This is a once in a lifetime event!"

Everyone knows that planets have atmospheres.  Lesser known is that comets do, too.  The atmosphere of a comet, called its "coma," is made of gas and dust that spew out of the sun-warmed nucleus.  The atmosphere of a typical comet is wider than Jupiter.

The timing could scarcely be better.  Just last year, NASA launched a spacecraft named MAVEN to study the upper atmosphere of Mars, and it will be arriving in Sept. 2014 barely a month before the comet. MAVEN is on a mission to solve a longstanding mystery: What happened to the atmosphere of Mars?  Billions of years ago, Mars had a substantial atmosphere that blanketed the planet, keeping Mars warm and sustaining liquid water on its surface. Today, only a wispy shroud of CO2 remains, and the planet below is colder and dryer than any desert on Earth. Theories for this planetary catastrophe center on erosion of the atmosphere by solar wind.

A new addition to the cast of "The Walking Dead" has been revealed today! The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Tyler James Williams (Peeples, "Go On," "Everybody Hates Chris") is set to play a mysterious character named Noah in the upcoming fifth season, which debuts on AMC next month.

The overall franchise also has a character named Noah Cruz, who appeared in the prequel video game The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct. Given that the Cruz character roughly matches Williams' age and ethnicity, it's possible that that's who we'll be seeing in future episodes.