planetary science
-
Astronomers Confirm a Second Trojan Asteroid in Earth’s Orbit
Artist’s conception of the Earth Trojan asteroid 2020 XL5.Illustration: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. da Silva/Spaceengine In December 2020, astronomers stumbled upon an object…
Read More » -
NASA Refines Threat Posed by Potentially Hazardous Asteroid Bennu
Bennu, as imaged by OSIRIS-REx.Image: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona Data gathered during the years NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spent zipping around asteroid Bennu…
Read More » -
Tons of Invisible Asteroid and Comet Dust Falls on Us Every Year
Imperceptibly small bits of dust from space fall to Earth in a perpetual microscopic meteor shower.Image: NASA/Bill Ingalls Some 10,000…
Read More » -
OSIRIS-REx Is Leaving Asteroid Bennu for Good
Artist’s conception of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft leaving Bennu (visible at bottom left).Illustration: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona (Fair Use) Yesterday, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx…
Read More » -
Astronomers Spot X-Rays Coming From Uranus
Composite image of Uranus, composed of an X-ray image taken by Chandra (shown in pink) and an optical image taken…
Read More » -
Antarctica Got Blasted by a Powerful ‘Airburst’ Event 430,000 Years Ago
Artist’s interpretation of the hot jet of molten particles and hot gas, striking the ancient Antarctic surface. Image: Mark A.…
Read More » -
Freaky New Feature Detected in Jupiter’s Northern Lights
Jupiter’s northern auroras. Image: NASA, ESA, and J. Nichols (University of Leicester) A newly detected auroral feature on Jupiter bears…
Read More » -
Earth Is Safe From Infamous Asteroid Apophis for the Next 100 Years, NASA Says
Apophis as it was imaged during its most recent flyby. Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech and NSF/AUI/GBO Asteroid Apophis—one of the scariest rocks…
Read More » -
Having Lost Its Original Atmosphere, This Freaky Planet Is Now Growing a New One
Artist’s depiction of exoplanet GJ 1132 b,Image: NASA/ESA/R. Hurt (IPAC/Caltech) Who says you can’t lose your atmosphere to a nearby…
Read More » -
Recovery of Rare Meteorite a ‘Dream Come True’ for Scientists
The rare meteorite, which fell to Earth on Feb. 28, 2021. Image: The University of Manchester A chunk of black…
Read More »