Asteroids
Searching For Crater Chains on the Earth
Aorounga impact crater. Image credit: NASA/JPL. Click to enlarge Comet 73P/Schwassmann Wachmann 3 is a beautiful sight in the night…
Don Quijote Will Reach Out and Impact an Asteroid
Impacts with very large asteroids are uncommon. Image credit: ESA Click to enlarge Asteroids don't hit the Earth often, but…
Binary Icy Asteroid in Jupiter’s Orbit
UC Berkeley researchers have performed a detailed analysis on a binary pair of asteroids circling near Jupiter's orbit, and believe…
Asteroid Broke Up 8.2 Million Years Ago
Astronomers think they've found evidence that an asteroid broke up about 8.2 million years ago, scattering dust around the Solar…
Kuiper Belt Moons Might Be More Common
Just a few years ago, Pluto was considered unusual for Kuiper Belt Objects because it has a moon. Now three…
Podcast: Gravity Tractor Beam for Asteroids
Forget about nuclear weapons, if you need to move a dangerous asteroid, you should use a tractor beam. Think that's…
Hayabusa’s Return Probably Delayed
JAXA engineers are working hard to recover their ailing Hayabusa spacecraft. The spacecraft has been out of contact since December…
Hayabusa Probably Didn’t Get a Sample After All
The Japanese Hayabusa spacecraft has moved approximately 550 km (340 miles) away from Asteroid Itokawa, beginning the journey back to…
Hayabusa Successfully Collects an Asteroid Sample
Japan's asteroid explorer, Hayabusa, successfully touched down onto the surface of asteroid Itokawa Saturday for the second time in a…
Upcoming Solutions for Near Earth Objects
Telescopes from around the world are constantly scanning the skies searching for potential Earth-crossing asteroids. The majority if these objects…