asteroid, artist's concept

Astronomy & Observing News

Near-Earth Asteroids Spin Faster Than We Thought

The fast spin of small near-Earth asteroids suggests scientists need to revise their ideas about what holds these rocky bodies together.

Kuiper belt object

Astronomy & Observing News

Objects at the Edge of the Solar System Behave in an Unexpected Way

In a surprise to researchers, the small, icy bodies beyond Pluto's orbit tend to rotate opposite the way they move around the Sun, which might say something about how they formed.

Charon

Astronomy & Observing News

How Did Pluto's Moons Form?

A massive collision with Pluto’s moon Charon could have formed the dwarf planet’s collection of smaller moons.

Mars: dry vs. wet

Astronomy & Observing News

Weak Martian Magnetic Field May Have Let Air Out

Mars's magnetic field weakened and disappeared billions of years ago. Now, scientists have found that the weak field might have been worse than none at all.

Mini-moon discovered

Astronomy & Observing News

Is Earth's Mini-moon Still Here?

Reports of the loss of Earth's minimoon may have been somewhat exaggerated — new research suggests the moonlet will leave Earth orbit in early may.

Astronomy & Observing News

Flapping "Bat Wing" Could Reveal Secrets of Planet Formation

The shadow cast by a protoplanetary disk takes the shape of a bat — and over time, flaps like one, too. The eery shadow could help astronomers understand the planet-forming material inside the disk.

Color composite of 2014 MU69

Astronomy & Observing News

New Horizons Flyby Target Receives Official Name: Arrokoth

When NASA's New Horizons flew by a distant Kuiper Belt Object on New Year's Day, they nicknamed it "Ultima Thule." Now, the object has received an official moniker: Arrokoth.

Comet 2I/Borisov

Astronomy & Observing News

Interstellar Comet Borisov "Indistinguishable" from Solar System Comets

The solar system's newest interstellar visitor, Comet 2I/Borisov, bears a striking resemblance to the icy population of the outer solar system.

Illustration of asteroids passing Earth

Astronomy & Observing News

Paintballs Clarify What Happens When an Asteroid Hits Earth’s Ocean

Coastal waves from mid-sized asteroid impacts might be more like a storm surge than a wall of watery destruction, according to NASA experiments with paintballs.

Cannan and Carson Huey-You

Astronomy & Observing News

11-year-old Astronomer Shines at AAS Meeting

Cannan Huey-You, just 11 years old, impressed professional astronomers this week with his research on a massive intergalactic gas cloud.

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