Asteroids

Asteroids are space rocks thought to be the remains left over from the formation of the solar system. They range in size from tiny (the size of a car or so) to truly giant, with at least one - Ceres - gaining dwarf planet status. In our solar system, billions of asteroids are in the asteroid belt, a region around the sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Others stray from this region, and can potentially post an impact threat to the Earth. At least one interstellar asteroid, called 'Oumuamua, has passed through our solar system. Learn more about asteroids here.

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Hawaiian Asteroid-Warning Telescope Passes Key Test

July 16, 2018 | Article

If you're someone who worries about death from above, this should make you sleep a little easier.
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Cosmic Double Take: Rare Binary Asteroid Discovered Near Earth

July 12, 2018 | Article

Surprise — it's twins! A near-Earth asteroid called 2017 YE5 turns out to be two separate rocks.
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Queen's Brian May Will Rock You with This Stereo Image of Asteroid Ryugu

July 10, 2018 | Article

Once a rock star has already conquered Earth, what's left but to bring his artistic interests to space?
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Europe Plans Second Attempt at Asteroid Planetary Defense Mission

July 10, 2018 | Article

A year and a half after ministers declined to fund one mission to an asteroid, the European Space Agency is working on a second such mission that could support planetary defense efforts.
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Pieces of 'Fireball' Meteor Found in Botswana

July 09, 2018 | Article

Meteorite hunters have recovered a fragment of a small asteroid that fell to Earth on June 2, burning up in the sky over Botswana just hours after it was detected hurtling through space.
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NASA Spacecraft Refines Course Toward Big Asteroid Bennu

July 06, 2018 | Article

The OSIRIS-REx asteroid-sampling probe remains on target for its December rendezvous with a big, potentially dangerous space rock.
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Meteorites on Earth May Come from Just a Handful of Early Lost Worlds

July 03, 2018 | Article

Nearly every meteorite that falls onto Earth may ultimately come from a half dozen or so lost worlds that splintered apart soon after the birth of the solar system, a new study finds.
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Weird Bright Spots on Ceres Get a Close-Up from Dawn As Mission Nears End

July 03, 2018 | Article

NASA's Dawn spacecraft has gotten its best-ever looks at the weird bright spots that speckle the dwarf planet Ceres.
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The Greatest Asteroid Encounters of All Time!

June 30, 2018 | Countdown

Asteroids are important building blocks of our solar system. When spacecraft study these small worlds, we learn more about how our neighborhood was formed — moons, planets and, of course, our own planet Earth.
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New Telescope Will Scan The Skies for Asteroids on Collision Course with Earth

June 30, 2018 | Article

An asteroid on a collision course with Earth is inevitable. Astronomer Michael Lund explains how a new telescope under construction in Chile will become a vital tool for detecting objects that could devastate our planet.
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