Asteroids
Psyche Gives Us Its First Images of Space
NASA's Psyche mission began eight weeks ago when it launched from the Kennedy Space Center. While it won't reach its…
The New Asteroid Moon Discovered by Lucy Just Got its Own Name
When NASA's Lucy mission flew past asteroid Dinkinesh on November 1, 2023, it made the surprising discovery the asteroid had…
Contact Binary Asteroids are Common, but We’ve Never Seen One Form. So Let’s Make One
Ever want to play a game of cosmic billiards? That's commonly how the DART mission was described when it successfully…
If You’re Trying to Prevent an Asteroid Impact, the Technical and Political Challenges are Staggering
While preparing for the threat of an asteroid strike might seem like a hypothetical exercise, it's really not. The Solar…
An Asteroid Will Occult Betelgeuse on December 12th
I cannot for the life of me remember when it was or what it was but a fair few years…
Some of the Moon's Craters are From Interstellar Impacts. Can We Tell Which?
By discovering two interstellar objects (ISOs), we know that asteroids and comets from other star systems pass through the Solar…
What? Wow! That New Asteroid Image from Lucy Just Got Even More Interesting
Lucy's images of asteroid Dinkinesh are the gift that keeps on giving. First, it was the discovery of a smaller…
How to Make Asteroid Landings Safer
Landing safely on an asteroid is no mean feat. Despite several recent successes, there have also been notable failures -…
ESA’s Hera Mission is Bringing Two Cubesats Along. They’ll Be Landing on Dimorphos
In about one year from now, the European Space Agency will launch its Hera mission. Its destination is the asteroid…
Devastating Clouds of Dust Helped End the Reign of the Dinosaurs
When a giant meteor crashed into Earth 66 million years ago, the impact pulverized cubic kilometers of rock and blasted…