A large, harmless asteroid will zip past Earth this weekend
A large asteroid will zip past Earth this weekend, but don't worry: It poses no danger.
Planetary Sciences
13 hours ago
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Research news on Near-Earth objects
Near-Earth objects (NEOs) as a research area encompass the observational, theoretical, and modeling studies of asteroids and comets whose orbits bring them into proximity with Earth, typically with perihelion distances less than 1.3 astronomical units. This field integrates asteroid/comet discovery surveys, orbit determination and dynamical evolution, physical and compositional characterization, impact probability assessment, and planetary defense strategies. Research includes population statistics, source regions and transport mechanisms from main-belt or trans-Neptunian reservoirs, surface and internal structure studies, non-gravitational forces such as the Yarkovsky effect, and development of mitigation techniques for potentially hazardous objects, often using ground-based telescopes, radar, and spacecraft missions.
Did gravitational tides cause Earth's extinctions?
Life on Earth took a long evolutionary journey that eventually created us, the purportedly intelligent species that dominates the planet. But there was no grand plan or design, only happenstance, nature and luck. Life on ...
Planetary Sciences
Jun 24, 2026
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281
Asteroid zooming past Earth on Saturday visible to stargazers
A large asteroid that will zoom harmlessly past Earth on Saturday will be visible to stargazers using a small telescope or large binoculars, the European Space Agency announced Wednesday.
Planetary Sciences
Jun 24, 2026
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803
Happy Asteroid Day! Prize-winning plan focuses on space infrastructure
For decades, astronomers and policymakers have been working on plans to protect our planet from killer asteroids. But now there's a new realm to protect: the thousands of satellites we're putting in orbit.
Planetary Sciences
Jun 23, 2026
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Sonic booms from meteors can release the energy of hundreds of tons of TNT. Here's how they work
As humans, we live out our lives on a planet that is constantly sweeping through a cosmic ocean littered with ancient debris from the formation of the solar system. For the most part, our world glides silently through space, ...
Planetary Sciences
Jun 20, 2026
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Laser Interferometer Space Antenna could double as an asteroid scale
One of the hardest things to calculate for an asteroid is its mass—but it is such a critical feature. It determines how much of an impact it would have if it hits something, or how many resources are potentially available ...
Astronomy
Jun 16, 2026
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Meet REMORA: The autonomous space fleet built to tag and track asteroids
To truly understand what an asteroid is made of, we need to send a probe to it. Remote sensing from ground-based telescopes, or even orbiting observatories, can only do so much. A new white paper submitted to the U.K. Space ...
Planetary Sciences
Jun 12, 2026
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Meteors are 'extremely common.' What makes the one over New England 'rare'?
A sonic boom shook Boston and the larger New England area with the force of 230 tons of TNT. The source came from outer space. The Saturday afternoon event triggered shock waves online, with thousands inquiring what could ...
Planetary Sciences
Jun 4, 2026
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New research examines how misinformation threatens planetary defense and public trust
As misinformation spreads faster than ever across digital platforms, new research highlights growing risks to public understanding of planetary defense, an area of science that deals with the threat from asteroid and comet ...
Planetary Sciences
May 18, 2026
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Is Earth's constant companion a stray asteroid or a chunk of the moon?
Earth has a group of cosmic stalkers. Known as "co-orbitals," these small bits of rock have a 1:1 mean motion resonance with Earth. Basically, they take the exact same amount of time to orbit the sun as we do. Astronomers ...
Planetary Sciences
May 18, 2026
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