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.
On December 3, 2018, NASA's Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) successfully rendezvoused with the near-earth asteroid (NEA) 101955 Bennu. Over the next two ...
Planetary Sciences
Mar 3, 2025
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For a brief window, Asteroid 2024 YR4 looked like a planetary hazard in the making. At up to 90 meters (295 feet) in diameter, it was described as a potential "city killer." On its estimated trajectory, it could've collided ...
Planetary Sciences
Mar 3, 2025
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For a few days in mid-February, headlines around the world buzzed about the potential for an asteroid to hit the Earth in 2023—specifically, asteroid 2024 YR4. The chance of this impact rose to a high of 3.1 percent on ...
Planetary Sciences
Mar 1, 2025
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New information is pushing Asteroid 2024 YR4 off of our front pages. Initial estimates gave it a 2.8% chance of striking Earth in 2032. Now, the European Space Agency says the chance of it striking our planet is down to a ...
Planetary Sciences
Feb 26, 2025
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New observations of 2024 YR4 conducted with the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT) and facilities around the world have all but ruled out an impact of the asteroid with our planet. The asteroid ...
Astronomy
Feb 25, 2025
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The chance that a football field-sized asteroid capable of destroying a city will strike Earth in 2032 has fallen to 0.001 percent, the European Space Agency said on Tuesday.
Space Exploration
Feb 25, 2025
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In December 2024, astronomers in Chile spotted a new asteroid streaking through the sky, which they named 2024 YR4. What's significant about this 100m-wide space rock is that it has a small chance of hitting Earth in 2032.
Astronomy
Feb 24, 2025
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There is a very small chance that an asteroid capable of taking out an entire city could strike Earth in less than eight years. But even if this asteroid is hurtling our way, humanity is now able to defend itself against ...
Planetary Sciences
Feb 21, 2025
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The chance that an asteroid capable of wiping out a city will hit Earth in eight years has been cut in half to around 1.5 percent, according to new calculations from NASA.
Planetary Sciences
Feb 20, 2025
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An asteroid that could level a city now has a 3.1-percent chance of striking Earth in 2032, according to NASA data released Tuesday—making it the most threatening space rock ever recorded by modern forecasting.
Planetary Sciences
Feb 19, 2025
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