Tag Archives: Asteroid

Tiny pieces of natural glass found in South Australia carry the signature of an ancient asteroid impact. They are small, tough, and unassuming, yet they point to a violent event that reshaped a patch of Earth about 11 million years ago. Researchers say these glasses are not part of any known deposit of similar material. They sit in their own …

Around 66 million years ago, the reign of the dinosaurs came to a fiery end. An asteroid about 7 miles (12 kilometers) wide, flying at 27,000 mph (43,000 km/h), slammed directly into Earth. The impact triggered a cascade of deadly events that led to the fifth mass extinction that eliminated dinosaurs, with the exception of some birds. But what happened …

An asteroid that entered over France and exploded at quite a low altitude has uncovered a new impact risk that Earth’s planetary defences might not be ready to fight. Asteroid 2023 CX1 burst into a fireball after disintegrating in the sky at an altitude of around 28 kilometres. According to a research that looked into the asteroid explosion, the asteroid …

Imagine hauling in enough platinum, gold, and rare earth metals to bankroll every American’s wildest dreams–or potentially tank the global economy overnight. That’s the high-stakes gamble NASA and a cadre of innovative U.S. startups are wagering on the untapped riches of asteroids. As NASA’s Psyche spacecraft hurtles toward its 2029 mission toward the metal-rich asteroid that shares the same name …

Scientists eye nuclear options as asteroid barrels toward moon  NewsNation We could nuke ‘city killer’ asteroid 2024 YR4 before it hits the moon — if we act fast, new study warns  Live Science Scientists Consider Blowing Up Asteroid 2024 YR4 To Prevent Moon Impact  NDTV NASA Proposes Blowing Up Asteroid 2024 YR4 So It Doesn’t Hit The Moon  IFLScience Nuclear impact: Scientists say NASA …

A large asteroid strike on the Moon could have negative consequences for the artificial satellites we now depend on. That being the case, a NASA-led team has looked into the options for preventing Asteroid 2024 YR4 from making such an impact in 2032. Contrary to the usual conclusions that asteroids should be diverted, not destroyed, they think this is a …

Final tests of NASA’s laser beam communication technology offer a promising new way to keep in touch with astronauts and spacecraft venturing into deep space, including future missions to Mars. NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) experiment, a technology demonstration carried aboard the Psyche mission, has completed its 65th and final test, successfully exchanging laser signals across 218 million miles …

Scientists are considering the possibility of launching a nuclear weapon at an asteroid that could potentially hit the moon in 2032 — but they say more research is needed before taking this forward as an option. The investigation concerns asteroid 2024 YR4, which reached notoriety shortly after its discovery in December 2024 when scientists (working with limited observations) revealed it …

Asteroid 2024 YR4 may hit moon  Boing Boing Scientists Say We Should Blow Up This Dangerous Asteroid Before It Gets Here  Futurism ‘City killer’ asteroid is hurtling towards the moon — so panicked NASA scientists want to nuke it  New York Post Will an asteroid hit the moon in 2032? What scientists are saying  Detroit Free Press NASA Proposes Blowing Up Asteroid 2024 YR4 …

In 2022, NASA intentionally rammed a spacecraft into a small asteroid at 14,000 mph, knocking it off course. The goal was to demonstrate a proof of concept for keeping humanity safe from a space rock heading toward the Earth. Now a group of scientists, including ones from NASA, is exploring options for a different near-Earth space rock, dubbed 2024 YR4, …