Arecibo Observatory scientists help unravel surprise asteroid mystery

When asteroid 2019 OK suddenly appeared barreling toward Earth on July 25, 2019, Luisa Fernanda Zambrano-Marin and the team at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico jumped into action.

After getting an alert, the radar scientists zoned in on the asteroid,

Posted in News


Comet Interceptor approved for construction

ESA’s Comet Interceptor mission to visit a pristine comet or other interstellar object just starting its journey into the inner Solar System has been ‘adopted’ this week; the study phase is complete and, following selection of the spacecraft prime contractor,

Posted in News


Amino acids found in asteroid samples collected by Japan’s Hayabusa2 probe

More than 20 types of amino acids have been detected in samples Japan’s Hayabusa2 space probe brought to Earth from an asteroid in late 2020, an official said Monday.

The acids discovered are very important substances for living things and could hold clues to understanding the origins of life,

Posted in News


Planetary Defense exercise uses Apophis as Hazardous Asteroid Stand-In

Watching the skies for large asteroids that could pose a hazard to the Earth is a global endeavor. So, to test their operational readiness, the international planetary defense community will sometimes use a real asteroid’s close approach as a mock encounter with a “new”

Posted in News


Planetary geologist joins extended OSIRIS-REx mission to visit another asteroid

Because of their potential to deepen our understanding of the solar system and beyond, NASA this week extended the missions of eight of its spacecraft, including OSIRIS-REx-and Northern Arizona University planetary geologist Chris Haberle will be one of the scientists involved in the newly extended project.

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Future of Earth’s defense is ground-based planetary radar

Powerful radar systems have played a major role in the study of planets, moons, asteroids, and other objects in our Solar System for several decades, and now have a “unique role” to play in planetary defense – “providing protection to the nations of the world from devastating asteroid and comet impacts,”

Posted in DRAX News


China developing means of saving Earth from asteroids – report

Currently, the only asteroid defense project to have truly gotten off the ground is the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) Mission, an initiative developed by NASA and John Hopkins University.

China is planning a new initiative to combat the threat of a potential asteroid impact on Earth,

Posted in News


Hubble confirms largest comet nucleus ever seen

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has determined the size of the largest icy comet nucleus ever seen by astronomers. The estimated diameter is approximately 80 miles across, making it larger than the state of Rhode Island. The nucleus is about 50 times larger than found at the heart of most known comets.

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Characteristics of Apophis, the asteroid that will approach Earth in 2029

The study, in which the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) and the Universidad Estatal Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho (Julio de Mesquita Filho Paulista State University) (UNESP) of Brazil are participating, analyses the surface and dynamics of Apophis, an asteroid that will pass close to Earth in 2029.

Posted in News


Ryugu could be a remnant of an extinct comet

Asteroids hold many clues about the formation and evolution of planets and their satellites. Understanding their history can, therefore, reveal much about our solar system. While observations made from a distance using electromagnetic waves and telescopes are useful, analyzing samples retrieved from asteroids can yield much more detail about their characteristics and how they may have formed.

Posted in News


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about near Earth objects in the UK.

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LD7 1LW. United Kingdom.

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