NASA was forced to rename an asteroid because of Nazis
Earlier this year, NASA’s New Horizons probe visited a very special space rock. It was a momentous occasion, especially since the rock turned out to …
Asteroid
An asteroid as large as 2,000 feet across will speed past Earth later this month
A large space rock known to scientists as 481394 (2006 SF6) will make its closest approach to Earth in just a couple of weeks. NASA …
Japan’s asteroid probe just fired a rover at space rock Ryugu
The Hayabusa2 probe arrived at the space rock known as Ryugu in June of last year. It was launched by Japan’s space agency JAXA, and …
Asteroid that killed the dinosaurs was as strong as 10 billion atomic bombs, study says
When a colossal space rock came crashing down 66 million years ago onto what is now the Yucatan Penninsula in Mexico, it triggered widespread changes …
A pair of asteroids are about to whiz past Earth, but we’ll be fine
One of the great things about having powerful observational tools to scan the heavens is that we have a good chance of spotting potential planet-killing …
Feast your eyes on the Earth-like, rocky debris covering the surface of asteroid Ryugu
Japan’s space agency JAXA has had a busy year, but that’s par for the course when you’re controlling an asteroid probe orbiting a distant space …
Here are the four spots where NASA’s asteroid probe might land
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is currently hanging out around the asteroid known as Bennu. It’s been there for months, taking photos and scanning the asteroid’s surface …
Something slammed into Jupiter, and all we saw was a flash
It was only about a day ago that NASA showed off some Hubble’s finest work yet in the form of new images of Jupiter. The …
An ancient Mars crater likely spawned a devastating mega-tsunami
The Mars we know today is dry, dusty, and (probably) devoid of life, but that wasn’t always the case. Scientists believe Mars was once a …
Watch Japan’s asteroid probe touch down on asteroid Ryugu
Japanese space agency JAXA has had an up-close-and-personal relationship with the asteroid known as Ryugu ever since its Hayabusa-2 spacecraft entered orbit around the space …
A surprisingly large asteroid just sneaked up on Earth, and the Sun is to blame
Thanks to powerful telescopes that can detect large objects at extreme distances, we earthlings have a pretty good idea of the space rocks that pose …
Astronomers just spotted an asteroid that loves the Sun
Thanks to astronomers and their constant search for new bodies moving throughout our solar system, we know about a lot of asteroids. Many of them …
Japan’s asteroid probe is about to attempt its second daring asteroid touchdown
Japan is doing some incredible things with its Hayabusa2 asteroid probe. The spacecraft has now spent several months in orbit around the space rock known …
Scientists still have no idea what that mysterious ‘alien probe’ actually was
The bizarre, twisted saga of Oumuamua — the strange object that whizzed through our solar system so fast it wasn’t even spotted until it was …
NASA’s asteroid probe snapped its closest photo yet of space rock Bennu
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid probe is giving scientists an even better look at the surface of the space rock known as Bennu now that it’s moved …
The Moon’s largest crater is hiding something, and astronomers don’t know what
Compared to other bodies in our Solar System, Earth’s moon isn’t particularly huge. However, its relatively small size belies one of its most interesting features, …
Astronomers captured an image of a double asteroid as it sped past Earth
Astronomers eager to observe bizarre visitors to our neck of the Solar System were in for a real treat late last month as the rare …
NASA needs your help to bring an asteroid sample back to Earth
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission has already accomplished a lot since arriving at the space rock known as Bennu late last year. The spacecraft successfully entered orbit …
Massive double asteroid will cruise by Earth later this week
Most space rocks that pass nearby Earth are solo travelers making their way around the Sun and slipping past our planet as they do so. …
NASA will test asteroid defenses by slamming a spacecraft into a space rock in 2022
If Earth were ever to be threatened by a large space rock — and it definitely will at some point in the future — humanity …
Scientists simulating an asteroid strike last week couldn’t save New York from being obliterated
Some of the world’s top scientists and disaster response teams spent a big chunk of last week simulating what might happen if a large asteroid …
A huge asteroid will squeak by Earth in 2029, and you’ll be able to see it without a telescope
Roughly a decade from now, a rather sizable space rock is going to have a very close encounter with Earth — on Friday the 13th, …
Japan found water on an asteroid, and it could reveal secrets about Earth
Nothing would excite astronomers more than to discover a planet somewhere out there with obvious signs of life, but it just hasn’t happened yet. Earth, …
We’re about to find out how prepared NASA and FEMA are for an asteroid strike
For years, big budget science fiction flicks have shown us highly stylized end-of-the-world scenarios involving asteroids. Sometimes the heroes have a plan to avert disaster, …
This is our first look at the hole Japan blasted into an asteroid
Earlier this month, Japan’s space agency JAXA launched an explosive projectile at the space rock known as Ryugu from its Hayabusa2 asteroid probe. Japan wanted …
Japan’s asteroid probe just blew another hole in the space rock Ryugu
Japan’s Hayabusa2 asteroid probe has been in orbit around the space rock known as Ryugu for months now, and in February it attempted its most …
NASA’s asteroid probe shot Bennu with a laser, and this is the result
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission has been steadily progressing since the spacecraft arrived at the diamond-shaped space rock known as Bennu a few months back, but not …
NASA’s Hubble spotted an asteroid spinning so fast it’s self-destructing
When you imagine an asteroid cruising through the solar system you probably think of it as a static object, not doing much beyond speeding along …
Nobody knows if NASA’s OSIRIS-REx can pull off its daring asteroid-sampling maneuver
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft first arrived at the large space rock known as Bennu late last year, and it’s spent the first few months of 2019 …
Japanese scientists think they know where the Ryugu asteroid came from
Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft has been hanging around the asteroid known as Ryugu for several months now. It first arrived in late 2018 and, in February, …
