Asteroids

An artist's rendering of an asteroid striking Earth.

Dinosaurs Might Be Alive Today If the Asteroid Had Hit Another Location

Only a fraction of the Earth’s surface contained the right amount of hydrocarbons to trigger the mass extinction, a new study says

Artist's impression of 288P

Hubble Spots Strange Pair of Space Rocks in the Night Sky

The duo, dubbed 288P, may help scientists better understand asteroid evolution

An illustration envisioning how the satellite OSIRIS-REx will collect rocks from the asteroid Bennu

How a Satellite Just Used Earth Like a Slingshot

On its way to study an asteroid for clues about the origins of life, OSIRIS-REx got a little boost from Earth's gravity

Behind Saturn's icy rings is the moon Tethys, illuminated by the planet's reflected sunlight.

How Scientists Engineered Cassini’s Final Demise

After a rich scientific life, Cassini went out in a blaze, becoming one with the planet it had revolved around for so long

A Near Earth Object

Meet Florence, the Giant Asteroid That Will Buzz by Earth This September

The 2.7-mile-long, near-Earth object will give astronomers a chance to study the asteroid up close

Asteroid 2014 MU69 may be composed of two spheres

New Horizon's Next Target Is an Oddly Shaped Asteroid

New data shows that MU69 is less than 20 miles long and may actually be two asteroids orbiting one another

Geek Out to This Asteroid Day Livestream

For 24 hours a YouTube channel will host discussions on space rocks and their potential impacts on Earth

Jupiter Could Be the Solar System's Oldest Resident

The early former may have set up just the right conditions for Earth to take shape

A composite image of asteroid 2014 JO25 created with data from NASA's Goldstone Solar System Radar.

Watch a Large Asteroid Streak Through the Night Sky

Only a small telescope will be needed

What a ring around Mars may have looked like

Mars May Have Had a Ring in the Past and Could Have One in the Future

The red planet's moon may have broken apart into a ring of debris and reformed several times over the planet's history

Shortly after the announcement of the TRAPPIST-1 system, NASA crowdsourced its Twitter followers for possible planet names. The actual process of naming new planets, however, is a bit more involved.

How Do New Planets Get Their Names?

Sorry, Planet McPlanetface: Asteroids, moons and other celestial bodies go through a strict set of international naming guidelines

Ceres is much more than a rotating rock.

Organic Material Found on Ceres Hints at Potential for Life

Scientists are fired up about these building blocks of life

Ancient Asteroid Collision Is Still Raining Space Rocks Down on Earth

A new study shows that today's meteorites considerably differ from those of the ancient past

The asteroid Vesta, explored by NASA's Dawn spacecraft in 2011 and 2012

A Sneaky Asteroid Buzzed By Earth Yesterday

The space rock passed by at about half the distance between our planet and the moon

An artist’s conception of the Lucy spacecraft flying by the Trojan asteroid Eurybates (left) and Psyche, the first mission to a metal asteroid (right).

NASA Just Announced Two New Missions, But Shelved Others

Though the new missions have exciting prospects, some scientists aren’t thrilled by the decision

Nördlingen is located in a crater in southern Germany.

This German Town Is Embedded with Millions of Tiny Diamonds

Scientists estimate that Nördlingen and the surrounding area contain approximately 72,000 tons of the gemstone

Never Fear, an Oceanic Asteroid Impact Wouldn’t Cause Apocalyptic Tidal Waves

But it could have long-term effects on the climate

Illustration of NASA's 2005 Deep Impact mission

Scientist Warns We're Unprepared for a Comet Strike

NASA researcher Joseph Nuth proposes that we build and store two spacecraft to deal with potential comet or asteroid strikes

Asteroid 2016 VA just before it passed into the Earth's shadow.

Astronomers Just Watched an Asteroid Skim Through Earth’s Shadow

The short video was tricky to shoot

Space Shuttle Atlantis lifts off on NASA's final space shuttle mission from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on July 8, 2011.

Many of NASA's Recent Successes Actually Date Back to the Bush Administration

Some leaps, launches and grand plans for the future

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