Back to Article List Although classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid, Bennu probably won’t hit Earth. But this study shows the damage a mid-sized space rock of its kind could do. Asteroid Bennu is a rubble pile-type asteroid that was visited by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, which took the images used in this composite photo. Credit: … Read more
Scientists have been arguing about a curious topic recently: Did temperatures on the moon dip due to the world’s Covid-19 lockdown? Last year, a pair of researchers claimed that the shockwaves of the shutdown could be felt as far as the moon, causing a slight dip in lunar surface temperatures. Now, a new paper disputes … Read more
The Euclid space telescope has, by chance, discovered its first Einstein ring, and it is absolutely stunning. Beyond its aesthetic appeal, this perfectly circular Einstein ring has allowed researchers to “weigh” the dark matter at the heart of a galaxy almost 600 million light-years away. The European Space Agency (ESA) spacecraft, which launched in July … Read more
As the use of space accelerates, so too does the risk of orbital debris — a pressing threat to communications, navigation and other technologies underpinning life on Earth. An estimated 131 million pieces of satellites and rockets larger than a millimeter are currently in orbit, traveling at speeds of up to 28,100 kilometers per hour. … Read more
A SpaceX launch later this month will send a new type of lunar explorer to the moon. IM-2, the second moon mission by Houston company Intuitive Machines, will lift off from Florida’s Space Coast during a four-day window that opens on Feb. 26. If all goes to plan, Athena will land on a plateau just … Read more
Neil Armstrong was appreciative, but as explained in his handwritten letter, it was too late. The Apollo 11 commander and his crewmates had already arrived at a design to represent the first moon landing. Armstrong’s note and the mission patch proposal that inspired it are up for auction in Goldberg Coins & Collectibles’ Feb. 27 … Read more
Watch this video of the largest radio jet that astronomers have seen yet in the early universe. Image via NOIRLab. Largest radio jet seen yet in the early universe In the nearby universe, astronomers have seen many radio jets blasting outward from the black holes at the cores of galaxies. But on February 6, 2025, … Read more
NEW ORLEANS — Scientists continue to advance the process of updating the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Scales, with the next steps expected to be taken as early as this year. Just like there’s a classification system for hurricanes and tornadoes, space weather storms that develop and pose threats to Earth have … Read more
Canadian artist Gustav Hahn painted his impression of what the 1913 Great Meteor Procession looked like. Image via Gustav Hahn/ Wikimedia Commons (public domain). February 9, 1913: the Great Meteor Procession An odd and still-unexplained parade of meteors on this date dazzled viewers in Canada, the northeastern United States and ships in the Atlantic all … Read more
View larger. | NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft captured this view of Uranus’ moon Ariel on January 24, 1986. We can clearly see various canyons and grooves. Image via NASA/ Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Uranus’ moon Ariel might have a subsurface ocean, a study found last year. The ocean could be ancient or it could still exist … Read more