This week, two asteroids — one big enough to destroy a city, and the other so large it could end civilization — are set to fly near our planet. Don’t panic. Both have a zero percent chance of impacting Earth. And, depending on where you are in the world, you may even be able to […]
Tag: asteroids
Astronomers Spot Cataclysmic Collision of Giant Asteroids in Nearby Star System
Nearly 20 years ago, astronomers observed a massive cloud of fine dust particles around a young star located just 63 light-years away from Earth. In recent observations from the Webb Space Telescope, however, the dust cloud had mysteriously vanished. Now, a new paper suggests the dust cloud may have been caused by a violent event […]
Asteroid’s puzzling moon likely formed after a sun-driven quake, study finds
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. Astronomers were in for a surprise when NASA’s Lucy mission flew by an asteroid named Dinkinesh in November and spotted a contact binary — two smaller space rocks that touch each other — orbiting the asteroid […]
Watch 2 bus-size asteroids make close flybys of Earth this week (video)
Two bus-sized asteroids will zip past Earth closely but safely this week, starting with a 7-meter-long (22-feet) space rock named 2024 JF that’s expected to pass by on Monday (May 6) evening. Astronomers expect 2024 JF to make its closest approach at 8:04 p.m. ET tonight (1204 GMT on Tuesday). It will be followed by […]
AI discovers over 27,000 overlooked asteroids in old telescope images
More than 27,000 asteroids in our solar system had been overlooked in existing telescope images — but thanks to a new AI-powered algorithm, we now have a catalog of them. The scientists behind the discovery say the tool makes it easier to find and track millions of asteroids, including potentially dangerous ones that might strike […]
Citizen scientists spot more than 1,000 new asteroids in old Hubble Telescope photos
The dotted white streak cutting across this photo of a faraway galaxy might seem like a nuisance for astronomers, but it’s actually the mark of a previously undiscovered asteroid. The image, snapped by the Hubble Space Telescope from its decades-long perch in low Earth orbit, is one of many that have been photobombed by asteroids […]
Minerals are in short supply on Earth. This startup wants to mine asteroids
When the e-scooter company Matt Gialich used to work for had to pause production owing to a shortage of platinum, a key component for the microprocessor that translates commands from the controls to the motor, he went down a rabbit hole researching metals. Gialich, whose childhood love of space led him into engineering and a […]
Icy asteroids help the James Webb Space Telescope uncover Neptune’s history
In examining a pair of icy asteroids at the edge of the solar system, the James Webb Space Telescope is helping scientists understand the evolution of an ice giant: Neptune. These findings could also help reveal how ancient Earth grew saturated with water, the ingredient that ultimately led to the emergence of life. The binary […]
Radar could help scientists find potentially threatening asteroids. Here’s how
Ground-based radar systems could have a unique role to play in planetary defense, helping humanity protect Earth by spotting asteroids and comets on potentially devasting collision courses with our planet. This was the conclusion reached by National Academies in their 2023-2032 Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey. Currently, only one radar system on Earth concentrates […]
Water molecules detected on the surface of asteroids for the first time
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. Water molecules have been detected on the surface of asteroids for the first time, proving that these remnants from the formation of our solar system aren’t just dried-up space rocks. Astronomers believe that the impact […]
Defunct NASA mission helps find water on asteroids for first time
A NASA mission that was retired in 2022 has helped scientists detect water on the surface of two asteroids. Researchers from the Southwest Research Institute were able to use data from the retired Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, a joint project between NASA scientists and the German Space Agency at DLR, to discover the water […]
12 times scientists penetrated the secrets of asteroids in 2023
Amidst all the wonders of our solar system — and as we know now, other solar systems — it may be all too easy to overlook the asteroids. But each asteroid is a whole world unto itself. And because there are more than a million known asteroids, our universe’s wonders and mysteries exist in great […]