Collaborate Disseminate
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
The Minor Planet Center has announced that Earth now has two moons. But don’t bother running outside to check – this second satellite is tiny and temporary.Continue ReadingCategory: Space, ScienceTags: Earth, Moon, Asteroid Continue reading Earth has picked up a tiny second moon
Astronomers have taken the clearest-ever shots of asteroid Pallas, a large rock orbiting out beyond Mars. The new images revealed the surface of this tiny world to be heavily dotted with craters, to the point where it’s been dubbed the “golf ball aster… Continue reading New images reveal “golf ball asteroid” has seen its share of hits
Of all the things you don’t want to lose, an asteroid with a chance of striking Earth is pretty high up the list. A space rock called 2006 QV89 has been missing in action for 13 years, after it was discovered to be on an orbit that regularly brought it too close to Earth for comfort. Now astronomers have finally found it again, and ruled out an impact within the next century.
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Continue Reading Long-missing, potentially dangerous asteroid finally rediscovered – and it won’t hit Earth
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