Asteroids
That’s So Metal. NASA’s Psyche Mission is Now Under Construction
In August of 2022, NASA will send a robotic spacecraft to the Main Asteroid Belt to explore a truly unique…
Rocks on Bennu are Cracking Because of the Constant Day/Night Cycling
Asteroid Bennu is blanketed by rocks and huge boulders. And now that the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is taking a close look…
Astronomers Finally Think They Understand Where Interstellar Object Oumuamua Came From and How it Formed
'Oumuamua caused quite a stir when it visited our Solar System in 2017. It didn't stay long, however, and when…
Asteroid Bennu is Getting Some Official Names for its Surface Features
Late last summer, NASA and the International Astronomical Union’s Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (a.k.a WGPSN) approved the naming…
OSIRIS-REx did its Closest Flyover Yet, just 250 Meters Above its Sample Site
NASA's OSIRIS-REx is getting closer, physically and temporally, to its primary goal. The spacecraft arrived at Bennu at the end…
OSIRIS-REx Flew 620 Meters Above its Landing Site. Confirms that it’s a Boulder-Strewn Nightmare, Just Like the Rest of Bennu
NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft reached its target, asteroid Bennu (101955 Bennu), on December 3rd, 2018. Since then, the spacecraft has been…
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…
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…
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…