asteroids

A single asteroid impact may have dramatically reshaped Deimos, the smaller of Mars’ two moons, creating both a huge depression near its south pole and the dusty surface that covers the moon today. An international team of researchers reached this conclusion after running about 100 detailed computer simulations and comparing the results with observations from […] The post One Giant Asteroid Impac…

High-resolution images from ESO’s Very Large Telescope and the Large Binocular Telescope reveal that the E-type asteroid (44) Nysa may be unlike any other world in the Solar System, with three connected lobes and a newly discovered satellite that could help explain how the bizarre object formed. The post Astronomers Discover First-Ever Three-Lobed Asteroid appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Sci…

In April 2029, a rare visitor is going to swing through near-Earth space. Asteroid 99942...

Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  August 3: A solar system trio Rising around sunset and standing highest around midnight, asteroid 324 Bamberga is visible in a small scope this evening, moving against the background stars of Capricornus. Look for it in the south around local midnight, about Continue reading "The Sky Today on Tuesday, August 4: Asteroid …

New images reveal what astronomers believe is the first-known "trilobate" or three-headed asteroid in our solar system.

Scientists already knew the size, speed and impact site of the asteroid that ended the dinosaurs. What they did not know was exactly what kind of asteroid had hit Earth.

What shape is an asteroid? For (44) Nysa, the honest answer until now has been that nobody knew. It is one of the brightest and largest E-type asteroids in the main belt, a class with a surface rich in enstatite, and its oddness has made it a favourite target for well over a hundred years. […] The post The Asteroid That May Be Three Worlds appeared first on Knowridge Science Report .

We have been watching asteroid (44) Nysa for well over a century without ever really knowing what it looks like. Now the sharpest images ever taken of it, from two of the largest telescopes on Earth, have revealed two deep valleys running right around its circumference and the team behind them think those are necks, joining three separate lobes into a single 75 kilometre body. If that holds up, N…

A new study suggests that the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs may have been even more deadly than scientists once thought. Researchers now believe that a huge cloud of dust left behind after the impact trapped heat in Earth’s atmosphere, creating temperatures high enough to ignite wildfires around the world and kill many […] The post Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Created a Planet-Wide Fi…

A mysterious three-lobed asteroid appears to have its own moon, scientists have revealed. The asteroid known as 44 Nysa was discovered nearly 170 years ago, back in 1857. Using some of the world's most powerful ground-based telescopes, researchers have finally been able to determine the asteroid's shape. The object appears to consist of three distinct lobes, each connected to the others by slend…

Sophisticated high-contrast imaging has revealed asteroid 44 Nysa to have three lobes and a small moon.

44 Nysa - An Asteroid Now With Its Own Moon Asteroid (44) Nysa, discovered in 1857 by astronomer Hermann Goldschmidt, has gotten a lot of study in the last 170 years but a recent analysis of data reveals it has its own moon. News Account Wed, 07/29/2026 - 20:26 Categories Space

Astronomers discovered that a near-Earth asteroid is actually a comet that could help scientists identify more hidden comets and improve planetary defense.

A massive asteroid breakup 800 million years ago may have sent a wave of debris through the inner Solar System.

The asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs was likely an exceptionally rare CO chondrite from a distant region of the solar system. Its unusual chemistry suggests that planet-cooling dust and debris, rather than sulfur inside the asteroid, may have delivered the deadliest blow.

Researchers predict that up to 7.6 billion people will be able to see the potentially hazardous asteroid Apophis fly past Earth on April 13, 2029. The skyscraper-size space rock will come closer than some satellites, making it clearly visible to the naked eye.

After chasing a small asteroid across a billion kilometres of space, China's Tianwen-2 probe has finally caught up, closing to within twenty kilometres of its target and beginning detailed scientific study. What it uncovers next could help settle a genuinely intriguing question, whether this quiet companion of Earth is simply another asteroid, or a long lost piece of the Moon itself.

Earlier this month, Japan’s veteran Hayabusa2 sample return spacecraft performed a surprisingly rapid and close-up flyby of a near Earth asteroid. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched Hayabusa2 in 2014 to visit the asteroid Ryugu, arriving in June 2018, and returning samples back to Earth in December 2020. But after dropping off its precious cargo via reentry capsule, JAXA then …

A bizarre wobbling asteroid revealed by NASA’s Lucy mission is exposing hidden clues about ancient water, cosmic collisions, and the origins of the solar system. NASA’s Lucy spacecraft discovered that asteroid Donaldjohanson is a wobbling, peanut-shaped relic born from a violent collision and slowly reshaped by the subtle force of sunlight. It also carries traces […]