asteroid
Latest about asteroid
![A Hubble telescope image of a bright blue asteroid, trailed by a long blue tail to the right. Small blue dots show boulders blasted away by NASA's DART mission.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/LjgwmhDjEGNCrxHLowdjeG-320-80.jpg)
Boulders flung from NASA's asteroid-smashing DART mission could crash into Mars, study predicts
By Joanna Thompson published
Dozens of boulders dislodged by NASA's asteroid-smashing DART test could hit Mars in the future, new research suggests.
![A close-up of NASA's OSIRIS-REx sample trays, containing dust and rubble plundered from asteroid Bennu.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gsHXjTBxUirR7CW6fPHP2B-320-80.jpg)
'Potentially hazardous' asteroid Bennu contains the building blocks of life and minerals unseen on Earth, scientists reveal in 1st comprehensive analysis
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
Scientists shared the first comprehensive science results from NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid-sampling mission at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, revealing the out-of-this-world makeup of asteroid Bennu.
![Saturn moon Enceladus in front of planet Saturn, rings and other moons.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JUBtSVQkDDMuqif8EYfNeD-320-80.jpg)
Why aren't all orbits circular?
By Alice Sun published
Why do some celestial bodies have tadpole or even horseshoe-like orbits?
![Data collected by the Faint Object InfraRed Camera (FORCAST) instrument on the now-retired Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) showed signs of water on the surface of two silicate-rich asteroids, called Iris and Massalia.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JB67rzR8YM2b988GRncZLK-320-80.jpg)
Water detected on the surface of an asteroid for the 1st time ever
By Samantha Mathewson published
Scientists detected water molecules on the surface of two asteroids for the first time ever. The team made the discovery using data from NASA's now-retired SOFIA airborne observatory.
![A fragment of the Asteroid 2024 BX1 recovered in Germany is a rare class called Aubrite.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Qt65hjnvD3qgw9EBX9eYsC-320-80.jpg)
Meteor that exploded over Germany confirmed to be rare 'aubrite' as old as the solar system itself
By Robert Lea published
A meteor that exploded over Germany on Jan. 21 was confirmed to be a rare aubrite, a type of asteroid as old as the solar system.
![View of the OSIRIS-REx Touch-and-Go-Sample-Acquisition-Mechanism (TAGSAM) head with lid removed, unveiling the bulk of asteroid Bennu sample inside.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6gZFjrTRee2pHrmFxAXbxB-320-80.jpg)
Asteroid Bennu may be 'a fragment of an ancient ocean world', 1st sample analysis suggests
By Leonard David published
Scientists are working hard to analyze samples of the potentially hazardous asteroid Bennu, with early results suggesting it may even be a chunk of an ancient water world.
![This map shows the location where the small asteroid 2024 BX1 harmlessly impacted Earth’s atmosphere over Germany, about 37 miles (60 kilometers) west of Berlin, on Jan. 21, 2024 local time.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iThrSqfBeXr6xCh98MGc7L-320-80.jpg)
How NASA correctly predicted that a tiny asteroid would burn up over Germany, hours before it happened
By Mike Wall published
Astronomers detected a small asteroid zooming toward Earth's atmosphere on Jan. 21, correctly predicting it would explode over Germany within hours. Here's how they did it.
![A top-down view of the OSIRIS-REx Touch-and-Go-Sample-Acquisition-Mechanism (TAGSAM) head with the lid removed, revealing the remainder of the asteroid sample inside.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uTiN7stwXq2zjSjHVgTWUa-320-80.jpg)
At last: NASA's complete sample of the 'potentially hazardous' asteroid Bennu is finally freed from its canister
By Ben Turner published
It's finally time to look inside the sample-return capsule from NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission. Scientists were locked out of the container for months due to a technical malfunction.
![An asteroid flying past earth](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xZQvdFzSema7hvkvh54BLh-320-80.jpg)
Scientists discover near-Earth asteroid hours before it exploded over Berlin
By Kiley Price published
For only the eighth time in history, scientists detected an asteroid before it made its fiery appearance over Earth. The tiny fireball exploded near Berlin early on Jan. 21.
![A meteor shoots across the night sky sky leaving a trail of light across the milky way](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iTUYfLASCVPDKtVTnZCEmB-320-80.jpg)
Quadrantid meteor shower 2024: The year's 1st meteor shower blazes over North America on Jan. 3
By Jamie Carter published
Up to 120 shooting stars per hour could be visible during a brief peak of the Quadrantid meteor shower — the year's first meteor shower, coming to North America Jan. 3 and 4.
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