asteroid
Latest about asteroid

2,000-foot-wide 'potentially hazardous' asteroid has just made its closest approach to Earth — and you can see it with a telescope
By Harry Baker published
The 2,000-foot-wide asteroid 2013 NK4 just made its closest approach to Earth in recorded history, sailing by at about eight lunar distances. You can still see the massive rock with a backyard telescope.

Car-size asteroid discovered 2 days ago flies by Earth at 1/30th the distance of the moon
By Josh Dinner published
A newly discovered asteroid got within 12,000 miles of Earth on a harrowing, ultra-close approach today. The space rock won't return for 70 years.

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.

'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.

Why aren't all orbits circular?
By Alice Sun published
Why do some celestial bodies have tadpole or even horseshoe-like orbits?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.
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