Today, astronomers and space lovers around the world are collectively marveling at our mercurial presence in the universe, particularly as we drift the cosmos amid large asteroids like the one that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. June 30 marks Asteroid Day, a holiday observed annually to reflect on the prospect of a […]
A skyscraper-size asteroid discovered two weeks ago will zoom between Earth and the moon on Saturday (June 29). At its closest approach, the space rock will pass within roughly 184,000 miles (295,000 kilometers) of our planet — about three-quarters the average distance between Earth and the moon. The asteroid, named 2024 MK, is estimated to […]
Meteorite impacts pepper Mars at a rate up to 10 times more frequent than previous estimates, according to two new research papers that identified the seismic shock waves of these impacts detected by NASA’s now-defunct Mars InSight lander. The new rate is staggering. According to the findings, between 180 and 260 impacts per year occur […]
An asteroid will whiz harmlessly past Earth this weekend. With the right equipment and timing, you just might spot it. Called 2024 MK, the space rock will make its closest approach to Earth Saturday morning, passing by at about three-quarters the distance from Earth to the moon. It was first spotted two weeks ago by […]
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. An early analysis of a sample collected from the asteroid Bennu suggests that the space rock had an unexpectedly water-rich past — and it may have even splintered off from an ancient ocean world. The NASA […]
On September 24, 2023, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft dropped a capsule to Earth containing pristine carbonaceous regolith collected from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. These samples were obtained after the probe took an impressive, seven-year roundtrip journey through the solar system and back. Since these space rock pieces arrived (approximately 120 grams of sample, to be precise) […]
On June 27, a massive asteroid the likes of which are rarely seen on this side of the solar system will be making a very close approach to Earth. The event will providing a great opportunity for millions to learn about similar space rocks and what could happen in a potentially catastrophic asteroid collision. How […]
A massive “planet killer” asteroid will make a very close approach to Earth later this week, safely zipping past our planet at around 58,000 mph (93,000 km/h). The “potentially hazardous,” mountain-size object is one of the largest space rocks to pass close to Earth in more than a century — and you can watch the […]
A threatening asteroid could bring Earth’s oft-squabbling nations together, at least for a while. Dealing with a big, dangerous asteroid that appears to have our planet in its crosshairs will require a healthy dose of international cooperation, experts say — and it’s best to start thinking about that scenario now, while we have enough time to […]
“The James Webb Telescope: Are We Alone?” on The Whole Story With Anderson Cooper offers an inside look at the most powerful telescope ever built. The show premieres Sunday, June 16, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CNN. A collision between giant asteroids likely occurred in a neighboring star system called Beta Pictoris in recent years, […]
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has found evidence of two giant asteroids slamming into each other in a nearby star system. The colossal collision ejected 100,000 times more dust than the impact that killed the dinosaurs. The violent impact occurred recently in Beta Pictoris, a star system located 63 light-years away in the constellation […]
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has observed evidence pointing to asteroids colliding in a neighboring star system. Resultant dust kicked up by the collision has a mass equal to around 100,000 times that of the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs. The asteroids were seen smashing together in Beta Pictoris, a star system located about […]