Asteroids

OSIRIS-Rex got to Know Bennu Really Well. Apparently, There’s now a 1-in-1,750 Chance That it’ll hit Earth by 2300

Asteroid Bennu is one of the two most hazardous known asteroids in our Solar System. Luckily, the OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral…

3 years ago

NASA has Approved a Space Telescope That Will Scan the Skies for Dangerous Near-Earth Asteroids

A lot of the threats humanity faces come from ourselves. If we were listing them, we'd include tribalism, greed, and…

3 years ago

Did Asteroid Impacts Provide Both the Heat and Raw Ingredients to Enable Life?

This is our Great Question: How did life begin on Earth? Anyone who says they have the answer is telling…

3 years ago

Extrasolar Object Interceptor Would be Able to Chase Down the Next Oumuamua or Borisov and Actually Return a Sample

What if we had the ability to chase down interstellar objects passing through our Solar System, like Oumuamua or Comet…

4 years ago

If you Want to Move an Asteroid, you Need the Right Kind of Nuclear Explosion

A new collaborative study has shown that nuclear explosions could be used to deflect asteroids, protecting Earth from cataclysmic impacts.

4 years ago

100-meter Asteroid Created a Strange Impact Event in Antarctica 430,000 Years Ago

The effects of ancient asteroid impacts on Earth are still evident from the variety of impact craters across our planet.…

4 years ago

Earth Gains 5,200 Tons of Dust From Space Every Year

Whenever I wipe the dust off my coffee table or catch a glimpse of dust motes floating in sunlight, my…

4 years ago

OSIRIS-REx Did One Last Close Flyby of Asteroid Bennu. It’s Almost Time to Come Home

After more than two years in orbit around asteroid Bennu, NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is ready to come home. It's bringing…

4 years ago

Primordial Asteroids That Never Suffered Massive Collisions all Seem to be Larger Than 100 km. Why?

The early asteroids had a similar size, and this could be due to turbulence in the early solar system.

4 years ago

Careful Calculations Show That Earth is Safe From Asteroid Apophis for at Least 100 Years

If you're looking for doomsday, you can forget about asteroid Apophis. The latest radar observations have effectively ruled out any…

4 years ago