Asteroids
Latest about Asteroids
Phew! No 'doomsday' asteroids hide in famous broken comet's debris stream
By Keith Cooper published
The Taurid Meteoroid Stream, responsible for two November meteor showers and possibly the Tunguska and Chelyabinsk impacts, probably doesn't hide a civilization-killing asteroid, a new study finds.
Astronauts could mine asteroids for food someday, scientists say
By Samantha Mathewson published
Material harvested from asteroids could be used to sustain astronauts during long-duration space missions.
Earth has caught a 'second moon,' scientists say
By Robert Lea last updated
Scientists calculated that, on Sunday (Sept. 29), our planet should have captured the asteroid 2024 PT5, claiming it as a very temporary "mini-moon."
Radar images capture snowman-shaped object tumbling past Earth
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
Radar images have captured snowman-shaped 2024 ON asteroid tumbling through space.
X-rays from a nuclear explosion could redirect an asteroid
By Charles Q. Choi published
Scientists have found nuclear weapons could actually help deflect an incoming cosmic impact — not by blowing an asteroid up, but by showering it with X-ray radiation.
Collisions could increase chance of 'God of Destruction' asteroid Apophis hitting Earth
By Robert Lea published
A chance encounter with another asteroid could steer Apophis destructively close to Earth during a future passage.
Tiny asteroid burns up harmlessly in Earth's atmosphere over Philippines. 'Discovered this morning,' ESA says
By Brett Tingley published
A 3-foot (1-meter) asteroid burned up harmlessly over the Philippines today (Sept. 4) after being detected just this morning.
No, NASA's DART asteroid impact probably won't spark meteor showers on Earth — but maybe on Mars
By Keith Cooper published
Slower moving particles blasted out by the DART impact on the asteroid Dimorphos could create meteor showers on Mars — but it's unlikely they'll cause meteor showers over Earth.
NASA's DART asteroid crash really messed up its space rock target
By Victoria Corless published
DART appears to have derailed its asteroid target from its normal evolution progress. The impact also made a crater.
Dinosaur-killing asteroid was a rare rock from beyond Jupiter, new study reveals
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
Scientists have uncovered the "genetic fingerprint" of the dinosaur-killing Chicxulub impactor, potentially revealing the fateful rock's origins in the outer reaches of our solar system.
Get the Space.com Newsletter
Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!