Collaborate Disseminate
The exact nature of the bizarre interstellar object ‘Oumuamua remains a mystery. There’s been no shortage of ideas, but now astronomers at Yale and the University of Chicago have proposed that it’s a brand new type of object: a hydrogen iceberg.Continu… Continue reading New theory proposes ‘Oumuamua is an interstellar hydrogen iceberg
It turns out that the dinosaurs had far worse luck than we thought. While a gigantic asteroid slamming into the Earth is never going to be a sign of good luck, a new study has shown that the space rock hit the planet at the deadliest possible angle, ma… Continue reading Dinosaur-killing asteroid struck at “deadliest possible angle”
Scientists using the University of Hawaii‘s Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) telescope have discovered an asteroid that shows the property of a comet. Designated 2019 LD2, the Trojan asteroid shares the same orbit as Jupiter, yet e… Continue reading ATLAS telescope spots an asteroid that has sprouted a comet-like tail
Japan’s Hayabusa 2 spacecraft is scheduled to arrive back on Earth later this year following a sample collection at asteroid Ryugu, but the mission is offering fascinating insights well ahead of its big return. Data collected by the probe during its hi… Continue reading New observations of Ryugu reveal the ancient asteroid’s colorful past
An MIT research proposal outlines a new method for rendezvousing with interstellar objects (ISOs) like ‘Oumuamua using a solar slingshot technique. By using solar sails to position deep-space probes on the edge of the solar system, the idea is to use t… Continue reading Solar slingshot could help spacecraft intercept interstellar objects
A small asteroid came within a cosmic hairbreadth of the ring of communications satellites circling the Earth in geosynchronous orbit this week. Passing by our planet at an altitude of about 35,000 km (22,000 mi), the object measuring four to eight met… Continue reading Asteroid has close encounter with geosynchronous satellite
In the last few years, astronomers have begun to realize that our solar system may be visited by interstellar objects more often than we thought. And now, researchers at CNRS in France and UNESP in Brazil have traced back the odd orbits of objects call… Continue reading Population of asteroids beyond Jupiter may be from another star system
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has been circling the primitive asteroid Bennu for more than a year now, with mission control gearing up for its sample collection maneuver later this year. The unmanned probe has ticked off another key milestone on this ep… Continue reading OSIRIS-REx probe rehearses asteroid sampling from lowest altitude yet
‘Oumuamua, the first interstellar interloper detected passing through our solar system, raised many questions when it was discovered. According to a new model, the object’s unusual shape and trajectory may be the result of a devastating close encounter… Continue reading ‘Oumuamua may be a piece of a planet torn to shreds by a star
With OSIRIS-REx in close orbit around Bennu, we’ve already seen some pretty amazing up-close shots of the asteroid. And now, NASA has released a full global map of this rocky little world in unprecedented resolution.Continue ReadingCategory: Space, Sci… Continue reading NASA pulls out incredibly high-res global map of asteroid Bennu