Search results for Tunguska

Astronomy Oct 30, 2025

Halloween fireballs could signal increased risk of cosmic impact or airburst in 2032 and 2036, research suggests

Every year, the Taurid meteor shower lights up the night sky from late October through early November. Sometimes called the "Halloween fireballs," they are named for the constellation Taurus—the bull—from which the meteors ...

Astronomy Jun 17, 2025

The mother of all meteor showers could threaten satellites

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 ...

Planetary Sciences May 12, 2025

The researchers charged with defending the planet against asteroids

In December, astronomers identified that the asteroid YR4 had a small but not insignificant chance of striking Earth in 2032, a scenario that experts postulated could have more explosive potential than 500 Hiroshima nuclear ...

Astronomy Apr 30, 2025

When a comet hits a tidally locked exo-Earth

Comets that have hit Earth have been a mixed bag. Early in Earth's history, during the solar system's chaotic beginning, they were likely the source of our planet's water, ultimately making up about 0.02% of the planet's ...

Astronomy Mar 24, 2025

Asteroid 2024 YR may not hit Earth in 2032, but it—and others—will keep coming back

In late 2024, astronomers spotted asteroid 2024 YR4 on a trajectory that could potentially threaten Earth. This observation triggered a fervid series of observations of the object—possibly as big as a football field—to determine ...

Space Exploration Feb 13, 2025

Why asteroid 2024 YR4 is unlikely to hit Earth in 2032 and how scientists keep track

The threat of a newly discovered asteroid has risen slightly in the past few weeks, as the world's telescopes rush to track its course. But the chance of an impact is still quite slim.

Astronomy Feb 2, 2025

Astronomers have spied an asteroid that may be heading for Earth: What we know so far

On 27 December last year, astronomers using the ATLAS survey telescope in Chile discovered a small asteroid moving away from Earth. Follow-up observations have revealed that the asteroid, 2024 YR4, is on a path that might ...

Space Exploration Feb 1, 2025

A 'city-killer' asteroid might hit Earth—how worried should we be?

A colossal explosion in the sky, unleashing energy hundreds of times greater than the Hiroshima bomb. A blinding flash nearly as bright as the sun. Shockwaves powerful enough to flatten everything for miles.

Planetary Sciences Dec 9, 2024

Astronomers find the smallest asteroids ever detected in the main belt

The asteroid that extinguished the dinosaurs is estimated to have been about 10 kilometers across. That's about as wide as Brooklyn. Such a massive impactor is predicted to hit Earth rarely, once every 100 million to 500 ...

Astronomy Nov 18, 2024

As Taurid meteor shower passes Earth, pseudoscience rains down—obscuring potential real threat from space

With the Taurid meteor shower now hitting the night skies worldwide, look for what could be a celestial treat—you might see shooting stars, and maybe even fireballs, the biggest and brightest meteors.

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