Asteroids
The Evidence is Leaning More and More Towards an Asteroid Ending the Dinosaurs
Which camp are you in: volcanoes? Or asteroids? When it comes to the extinction of the dinosaurs, science has whittled…
An Asteroid has been Found that Orbits the Sun Closer than Venus
Astronomers at Caltech's Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) have discovered an asteroid that orbits inside Venus. Though other asteroids have a…
The Site Has Been Chosen! Here’s Where OSIRIS-REx is Going To Take a Sample from Bennu
NASA has chosen the sampling site for its OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. After narrowing it down to four potential sites and examining…
Why Are Particles Getting Ejected Off of Asteroid Bennu?
NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft arrived at asteroid Bennu in December 2018, and just one week later, it discovered something unusual about…
It’s Time to Decide. Where Should OSIRIS-REx Take a Sample from Bennu?
NASA's OSIRIS-REx arrived at asteroid Bennu in December 2018. During the past year, it's been imaging the surface of the…
The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope Could Find More of Earth’s Transient Moons
A team of astronomers estimates that the LSST (which will be operational in 2020) will allow us to learn more…
It’s Time for Hayabusa-2 to Come Home
Japan's Hayabusa 2 spacecraft is on its way home. The asteroid-visiting, sample-return mission departed asteroid Ryugu (162173 Ryugu) on Wednesday,…
Comets and Interstellar Objects Could be Exporting Earth Life Out into the Milky Way
A new study suggests that comets and asteroids that graze Earth's atmosphere might be responsible for the spread of life…
Hayabusa 2 Has Sent its Last Rover to Ryugu
Japan's Hayabusa 2 mission to asteroid Ryugu has reached one of its final milestones, if not its climax. The sample-return…
This Summer’s Asteroid Near-Miss Helped Greenlight NASA’s NEOCam Mission to Search the Skies for Killer Spacerocks
Last July, a once-in-a-lifetime event happened. Not the good kind; the football-field-sized-asteroid near-miss kind. And that near miss is the…