Astronomers are scrambling to gather data on a mysterious object that’s currently hurtling through the solar system. Preliminary observations suggest it came from interstellar space, and if confirmed, it would mark the third discovery of an interstellar object in history. The cosmic visitor—tentatively named A11pl3Z—first appeared in data collected by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert […]
Rubin Observatory’s Stunning Result Proves It’s a ‘Game Changer’ for Spotting Dangerous Asteroids
Astronomers usually keep their eyes on the sky, but on Monday, June 23, the community turned its attention toward Washington, D.C., as scientists from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory unveiled the telescope’s first images. Many have waited more than 20 years to see Rubin in action, and its initial findings did not disappoint. Rubin, a […]
NASA’s Psyche Mission Suffers Strange Glitch on Its Way to a Metallic Asteroid
The Psyche spacecraft launched nearly two years ago and is currently on its way to rendezvous with a unique asteroid in an effort to understand the origins of Earth. Although it’s still a few years away from orbiting the asteroid, which bears the same name, the Psyche mission has run into an issue with its […]
NASA’s Lucy Captures Stunning Views of Peanut-Shaped Asteroid in Latest Flyby
NASA’s Lucy spacecraft just pulled off its second asteroid flyby and imaged a frankly tasty-looking rock: a peanut-shaped asteroid named Donaldjohanson. The oblong asteroid is a fragment of a long-destroyed space rock that formed roughly 150 million years ago, and Lucy swooped within 600 miles (960 kilometers) of it on April 20, 2025, capturing some […]
NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft Set for High-Stakes Asteroid Encounter on Sunday
The Lucy mission is on a 12-year journey to explore a peculiar set of asteroids that lead and follow Jupiter as it orbits the Sun. As it journeys to these Trojan asteroids, the probe is preparing for its second stop at the main belt, approaching a mysterious space rock to practice for the main event. […]
Asteroid With 3.8% Chance of Hitting Our Moon Originated From an Unusual Spot
Astronomers have traced the origin of asteroid 2024 YR4, which appears to have broken off from a larger space rock. A newly discovered asteroid is on track for a close brush with Earth—and it might even slam into the Moon. Recently, astronomers got a closer look at the giant space rock, revealing its violent origin […]
Asteroid Mining Startup Loses Its Spacecraft Somewhere Beyond the Moon
A privately built spacecraft is tumbling aimlessly in deep space, with little hope of being able to contact its home planet. Odin is around 270,000 miles (434,522 kilometers) away from Earth, on a silent journey that’s going nowhere fast. California-based startup AstroForge launched its Odin spacecraft on February 26 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. […]
NASA Makes Big Update to Asteroid Potentially on Collision Course With Earth in 2032
The potentially hazardous asteroid 2024 YR4 caused consternation over the last few weeks as its odds of hitting Earth in 2032 dramatically rose. Now, those odds have plummeted to near-zero, as astronomers’ calculations of the asteroid’s path have been updated to indicate that Earth is almost certainly not in the space rock’s plans. Almost. According […]
Odds of Asteroid Hitting Earth in 2032 Climb Again as Impact Probability Hits New Peak
2024 YR4 first caught astronomers’ eyes on December 27, 2024, and was marked as an asteroid that may hit Earth in eight years’ time. Now, the asteroid’s impact odds have reached their highest likelihood yet. The asteroid has a 1-in-32 chance of hitting Earth in 2032, according to the latest (and constantly updated) odds from […]
Here’s What Would Happen If Asteroid Bennu Hit Earth
On September 24, 2182, a relatively large space rock has a 0.037% chance of crashing onto the surface of Earth. Although the chances of impact are slim, Bennu is still one of the most potentially hazardous known asteroids in our solar system, and we need to be prepared for what could come. A first-of-its-kind study […]