Asteroids as a research area encompasses the scientific investigation of small rocky bodies primarily located in the asteroid belt and throughout the Solar System, focusing on their composition, internal structure, dynamical evolution, and role in planetary formation and collisional processes. This field integrates observational astronomy, spectroscopy, celestial mechanics, planetary geology, and space mission data to constrain asteroid taxonomies, surface and subsurface properties, impact hazards, and resource potential. Research addresses accretion and differentiation histories, space weathering, binary and rubble-pile formation, migration mechanisms, and their contribution to the delivery of volatiles and organics to terrestrial planets, providing constraints on early Solar System conditions.
Astronomers manning an asteroid warning system caught a glimpse of a large, bright object zipping through the solar system late on July 1, 2025.
Astronomy
Jul 6, 2025
2
323
China's Tianwen-2 probe continues on its journey to rendezvous with a near-Earth asteroid (NEA) before heading to the main asteroid belt. The second in China's interplanetary exploration program (which translates to "Questions ...
Planetary Sciences
Jul 3, 2025
0
54
Scientists with NASA's Lucy mission continue to analyze data collected during the spacecraft's April 20 encounter with the main-belt asteroid Donaldjohanson.
Planetary Sciences
Jul 2, 2025
0
32
Asteroid 2024 YR4 made headlines earlier this year when its probability of impacting Earth in 2032 rose as high as 3%. While an Earth impact has now been ruled out, the asteroid's story continues.
Planetary Sciences
Jun 27, 2025
0
164
Most meteorites that have reached Earth come from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. But we have 1,000 or so meteorites that come from the moon and Mars. This is probably a result of asteroids hitting their surfaces ...
Planetary Sciences
Jun 25, 2025
1
87
I was preparing for my early morning class back in January 2025 when I received a notice regarding an asteroid called 2024 YR4. It said the probability it could hit Earth was unusually high.
Planetary Sciences
Jun 25, 2025
0
56
If a huge asteroid smashes into the moon in 2032, the gigantic explosion would send debris streaming toward Earth that would threaten satellites and create a spectacular meteor shower, according to researchers.
Astronomy
Jun 23, 2025
0
139
The pristine samples from asteroid Ryugu returned by the Hayabusa2 mission on December 6, 2020, have been vital to improving the understanding of primitive asteroids and the formation of the solar system. The C-type asteroid ...
Planetary Sciences
Jun 23, 2025
0
189
We might not currently have any technology that would make a space elevator viable on Earth. But that doesn't mean they wouldn't work on other bodies around the solar system. One of the most interesting places that one could ...
Space Exploration
Jun 19, 2025
3
73
Shortly after astronomers detected asteroid 2024 YR4 on December 27, 2024, they realized it posed no threat to Earth. But it could still impact the moon in 2032. The impact debris could threaten satellites and trigger an ...
Astronomy
Jun 17, 2025
11
90
