High-resolution images captured by the Very Large Telescope and the Large Binocular Telescope reveal that the E-type asteroid (44) Nysa features three connected lobes and a newly discovered satellite, according to findings detailed by Dr. Kate Minker and her colleagues. Observed on February 15, 2026, the 80-kilometer-wide main belt asteroid displays an enstatite-like surface composition … Read more
According to research published in Science Advances on July 23, 2026, rocks collected from the Moon’s far side by China’s Chang’e-6 mission show that the early Solar System’s asteroid bombardment faded slowly over billions of years rather than ending in a single catastrophic spike. Scientists analyzed tiny impact-melt rock fragments to reconstruct more than three … Read more
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft captured imagery of Mars during a gravity-assist maneuver, providing scientists with rare views of the planet’s southern highlands. The probe, currently en route to a metal-rich asteroid, utilized the planet’s gravitational pull to adjust its trajectory for a 2029 rendezvous, according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Imaging Mars During the Psyche Gravity … Read more
China’s Tianwen 2 probe has arrived within 20 kilometers of the asteroid 2016HO3, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA). The spacecraft reached the near-Earth asteroid after a 400-day, 1-billion-kilometer journey, marking the start of a scientific exploration phase intended to prepare for future sample collection. How did Tianwen 2 navigate to asteroid 2016HO3? … Read more
China is working on a space-ground integrated monitoring and early-warning network as a core component of a planetary defense system that is under feasibility study, according to Li Mingtao, chief scientist at the asteroid monitoring and early-warning research center under the China National Space Administration (CNSA). The proposed system aims to eliminate blind spots in … Read more
The asteroid 1997 NC1, a massive space rock estimated to be 1,650 metres wide, will pass within 2.5 to 2.6 million kilometres of Earth on June 27. According to the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and NASA, the flyby poses no risk to our planet, though NASA has officially designated the object as a “Potentially Hazardous … Read more
NASA’s Lucy spacecraft has confirmed that the main-belt asteroid Donaldjohanson exhibits a complex “tumbling” rotation, spinning on two axes while traveling through space. Data published June 18, 2026, in the journal Science reveals the asteroid rotates end-over-end every 10.5 days, while simultaneously wobbling around a horizontal axis every 26.5 days, according to Dr. Simone Marchi … Read more
A lost planetary embryo, potentially as large as the moon or Mars, shattered 4.5 billion years ago after colliding with another celestial body. Scientists confirmed the existence of this protoplanet by analyzing the Northwest Africa (NWA) 12774 angrite meteorite, which contains high-pressure mineral signatures inconsistent with small asteroids. According to research published in Earth and … Read more
New remote sensing data from the OSIRIS-REx mission reveals significant mineralogical diversity across the surface of asteroid (101955) Bennu at scales of two to ten meters. According to a study currently under review at JGR: Planets, researchers identified measurable spectral heterogeneity at all four candidate sampling sites—Nightingale, Osprey, Sandpiper, and Kingfisher—providing a critical baseline for … Read more
Planetary scientists have identified evidence of a massive asteroid impact on the Moon occurring 3.5 billion years ago, providing a vital timeline for the bombardment of the inner Solar System. By analyzing the lunar meteorite Northwest Africa (NWA) 12593, researchers led by Dr. Carolyn Crow at the University of Colorado, Boulder, linked this lunar event … Read more