Tag Archives: Asteroid

The night sky often offers a sense of tranquillity, but occasionally, celestial visitors remind us of the dynamic universe we inhabit. One such visitor, asteroid 2025 PM2, is currently on a trajectory near Earth, capturing the attention of scientists, astronomers, and space enthusiasts alike. Measuring approximately 190 feet (58 metres) in diameter and travelling at nearly 41,390 miles per hour, …

Since its discovery in 1999, the near-Earth asteroid Bennu has captivated scientists as a time capsule from the early solar system — and also as a key to possibly understanding the origins of life. To study the asteroid in depth, NASA launched the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to Bennu. The probe collected samples in 2020 and returned them to Earth in 2023. …

The ambitious mission to retrieve samples from asteroid Bennu and return them to Earth is paying off. Just as scientists had hoped, the asteroid is revealing details about the early days in our Solar System. More than just a simple space rock, Bennu contains not only material from the Solar System, but material from beyond our system. Bennu follows an …

A brief flare lit up Saturn during a home telescope recording session in Hampton, Virginia a few weeks ago. The flash appeared between 9:00 and 9:15 UTC. If it marks a real strike, it would be the first time anyone has captured an impact on Saturn on video. The moment is unconfirmed, and that uncertainty matters. A single bright frame …

Asteroid Ryugu is proving to be one of the most scientifically valuable time capsules in the solar system. A recent study of microscopic grains collected from Ryugu by Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft found the tiny space rock harbors minerals that formed long before Earth itself — minerals that have been preserved in pristine condition for billions of years. Using cutting-edge X-ray …

When NASA’s Dawn mission arrived at Ceres in 2015, scientists and the general public got their first detailed look at this strange and beautiful planetoid. As the largest object in the Main Asteroid Belt, accounting for more than 39 percent of its total mass, Ceres is the only object in the belt that has undergone hydrostatic equilibrium (aka. became round …

The near-Earth asteroid Bennu contains stardust that is older than our solar system, as well as organic materials and ices from interstellar space, three fresh studies of the asteroid’s sample materials show. Scientists all over the world have been poring over samples of Bennu ever since material from the asteroid was brought to Earth in 2023, courtesy of NASA‘s OSIRIS-REx …

NASA’s Psyche spacecraft, which is headed toward a big and bizarre metal asteroid, has delivered a stunning perspective of our home planet from deep space. Psyche launched atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket in October 2023 with the objective of visiting the metallic asteroid 16 Psyche, which is believed to be the exposed core of a demolished planetesimal, or tiny …

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Published: 01:11, 23 August 2025 | Updated: 01:12, 23 August 2025 Dust collected from an asteroid by a NASA spacecraft more than 200 million miles away from Earth contains material that is older than the sun. Scientists have analysed samples from the Bennu asteroid, which resembles the Death Star space station in the Star Wars films, …

SALT LAKE CITY — Two mission concepts are seeking funding to fly by and even collide with an asteroid that is making a very close flyby of Earth in 2029. To continue reading this article: Register now and get3 free articles every month. You’ll also receive our weekly SpaceNews This Week newsletter every Friday. Opt-out at any time. Sign in …