Tag

Near Earth Objects

All articles tagged with #near earth objects

space1 day ago•106 min saved

China plots space-ground early-warning system for sunward asteroids

China's space agency announced plans to develop a coordinated space-ground asteroid early-warning network that would combine ground-based optical telescopes with a space-based observing constellation to detect near-Earth asteroids, especially those approaching from the sunward direction. The proposed architecture includes a basic model with a Sun-Earth L1 satellite plus northern and southern ground stations, and an extended model that adds Venus-like or distant retrograde orbits to improve sky coverage. The move aligns with China’s 15th Five-Year Plan, complements ongoing international efforts (e.g., NASA's DART, ESA's Hera), and emphasizes open data sharing and potential radar capabilities as gaps in current asteroid tracking persist. The development comes amid calls for stronger planetary defense and the upcoming International Year of Planetary Defense in 2029 and notable close approaches such as Apophis' flyby.

via Space|

#asteroids #cnsa #near-earth-objects

science7 days ago•3 min saved

Eight Close Shaves: Near-Earth Asteroids That Skimmed Our Planet

Eight near-Earth asteroids have narrowly missed Earth in recent years, with distances from about 230 km (2025 UC11) to 9,900 km (2017 GM), including 2018 UA, 2019 UN13, 2020 VT4, 2021 UA1, 2022 FD1, and 2023 BU; the piece also notes a 2026 pass at 2.6 million km and a projected 2029 Apophis flyby at ~32,000 km, all in the context of historic events like Tunguska in 1908.

via Rediff|

#asteroids #close-approaches #nasa

science10 days ago•9 min saved

Tunguska 1908: How a Siberian Skyburst Redefined Our View of Space Threats

A 1908 Tunguska skyburst over Siberia flattened forests across a vast area without a crater, forcing a shift in meteor science toward recognizing airbursts and the potential for atmospheric explosions to cause widespread damage. The long-standing asteroid-or-comet identity debate persisted for decades, but later events like Chelyabinsk highlighted the real threat of such bursts. Today, improved detection and defense efforts—through projects like NASA's NEO Surveyor, the Vera Rubin Observatory, and the DART mission—aim to forecast and, if needed, alter the course of hazardous near-Earth objects, though warning times remain highly dependent on an object's approach vector.

via NDTV|

#airburst #chelyabinsk #near-earth-objects

space13 days ago•31 min saved

Asteroid 1997 NC1 to skim past Earth at 6.7 lunar distances — live viewing planned

Asteroid (152637) 1997 NC1, a potentially hazardous Aten-class near-Earth object estimated at 0.75–1.65 km across, will pass Earth at about 6.67 lunar distances (0.017 AU) around 11:16 UTC on June 27, 2026—the closest approach since before 1600. It may reach roughly magnitude 10, making it observable with small telescopes under dark skies; the approach speed is about 8.9 km/s. Live viewing is planned via the Virtual Telescope Project starting at 23:00 UTC on June 26–27 as part of Asteroid Day 2026.

via The Watchers - Watching the world evolve and transform|

#asteroid-1997-nc1 #asteroid-day #near-earth-objects

science1 month ago•7 min saved

Rubin Observatory's LSST set to reveal millions of unseen solar-system objects

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is gearing up to begin the decade-long Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), which will repeatedly image the southern sky with a 3.2‑gigapixel camera to detect small, fast‑moving solar-system bodies. Simulations predict the survey could add roughly 5 million new main-belt asteroids, about 40,000 trans‑Neptunian objects, and over 10,000 comets, with near-Earth objects more than tripling, though these are model yields, not guaranteed discoveries. Data Preview 2 is planned for July–September 2026 ahead of the formal survey start, enabling early testing of the predicted yields. The project will boost planetary defense and solar-system science but will not replace targeted follow-up observations for composition and dynamics.

via Space Daily|

#lsst #near-earth-objects #rubin-observatory

science1 month ago•11 min saved

Tunguska 1908: The Sky Burst That Left No Ground Crater

On June 30, 1908, a sky explosion over Tunguska, Siberia leveled about 2,150 square kilometers of forest with an energy around 10–15 megatons, but left no ground crater because the object disintegrated in the atmosphere at roughly 5–10 km altitude; decades later, Leonid Kulik found no meteorite and a radial pattern of downed trees, supporting the airburst explanation and dispelling sensational theories. The object is believed to have been a ~50–60 meter stony asteroid, though Lake Cheko’s proposed crater remains contested. The event reshaped thinking about space hazards and the need to map near-Earth objects, a lesson underscored by the smaller 2013 Chelyabinsk event.

via Space Daily|

#airburst #near-earth-objects #science

science1 month ago•19 min saved

Tiny City-Killer Asteroid Whizzed Past Earth, Spotlighting Limited Warnings

A small near-Earth asteroid called 2026JH2, roughly 50–100 feet across, passed about 24% of the Earth–Moon distance today after being discovered just eight days ago, underscoring how little warning we often have for city-impact threats and the limits of deflection. The piece also surveys a variety of other headlines—from Trump’s Rededicate 250 evangelical event and commentary on Christian nationalism to celebrity news about Pete Davidson, Shakira’s tax case, and a Christopher Nolan casting controversy—illustrating a single day’s mix of science, politics, and pop culture.

via jezebel.com|

#astronomy #disaster-preparedness #entertainment-culture

science1 month ago•183 min saved

Bus-sized asteroid to skim by Earth in a safe, close pass

An Apollo-class near-Earth asteroid about 15–30 meters across, named 2026JH2, will pass Earth on Monday at roughly 91,593 km (56,913 miles) — about a quarter the Earth–Moon distance — with no danger expected. Size estimates are uncertain because measurements rely on reflected light and radar data are limited after the Arecibo Telescope collapsed; a livestream from the Virtual Telescope Project will monitor the flyby. Such small asteroids edge near Earth several times a year as surveys improve, and a larger object, Apophis, is set to pass closer in 2029.

via CNN|

#2026jh2 #asteroid #astronomy

space1 month ago•4 min saved

Cloud Gate-sized asteroid 2026 JH2 makes a surprisingly close Earth flyby

A roughly 20-meter asteroid named 2026 JH2 will pass about 57,000 miles from Earth on May 18, closer than the Moon. It’s an Apollo-type near-Earth object and is not considered a threat; observers can view it with a telescope or via a Virtual Telescope live broadcast.

via WIRED|

#asteroids #astronomy #near-earth-objects

sciencespace2 months ago•4 min saved

Global pact for planetary defence as Ramses targets Apophis

ESA and JAXA signed memoranda to deepen planetary-defence collaboration and advance the Ramses mission to rendezvous with asteroid Apophis ahead of its 2029 Earth flyby, with ESA leading spacecraft design and JAXA contributing key hardware to study tidal effects and improve deflection knowledge; the 2029 flyby will bring Apophis within about 32,000 km of Earth, presenting a rare science and public-engagement opportunity.

via European Space Agency|

#apophis #esa-jaxa-collaboration #near-earth-objects

science2 months ago•4 min saved

Rubin Observatory Unveils 11,000 Asteroids in Early Look, Heralding a Solar-System Census

In an early data release from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, scientists identified 11,097 new asteroids (along with 33 near-Earth objects and about 380 trans-Neptunian objects), with results confirmed by the MPC. The findings demonstrate Rubin's unprecedented survey power and foreshadow a dramatic expansion of the Solar System inventory during the ten-year LSST era, with data openly available for ongoing research.

via Universe Today|

#asteroids #lsst #near-earth-objects

space3 months ago•70 min saved

Sun-baked asteroid debris births a brand-new meteor shower

A study of millions of meteors found a cluster of 282 that marks a new meteor shower generated by debris from an asteroid that was baked by the Sun; the parent asteroid is still unidentified, but this shows solar heating can crack asteroids and release material, improving our understanding of asteroid evolution and helping planetary defense efforts, with NASA's upcoming NEO Surveyor expected to search for the source.

via Live Science|

#asteroid-activity #geminids #meteor-showers

science3 months ago•6 min saved

Meteorite Strikes Texas Home as Fireball Trail Lights Up the Nation

A cannonball-sized meteorite crashed through a Texas home after a night of widespread fireballs across the United States, with NASA data linking the events to fragmentation of a larger object; scientists say the ground impact provides a rare data point on how meteoroids break apart and survive entry.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#fireball #meteorite #nasa

space-exploration3 months ago•54 min saved

Blue Origin maps two-phase asteroid defense with ion beams and kinetic hits

Blue Origin is teaming with NASA's JPL/Caltech on the NEO Hunter mission to defend Earth from hazardous asteroids. The plan uses Blue Ring, a modular satellite bus, to deploy cubesats that characterize a threat and, if indicated, redirect its trajectory with an ion-beam emitter; if the rock is too big, a Robust Kinetic Disruption phase could strike it to alter course. The concept builds on NASA's DART approach and also envisions Blue Ring supporting other missions (e.g., Mars telecom) in deep space.

via Space|

#asteroid-defense #blue-origin #ion-beam

science4 months ago•16 min saved

Earth at Risk: Over 15,000 City-Killing Asteroids Remain Undetected

NASA warns at an AAAS meeting that more than 15,000 asteroids large enough to destroy a city remain undetected, leaving Earth with little warning time; only about 40% of roughly 25,000 known city-scale asteroids have been cataloged, while many remain dark or near the Sun. Improving detection through the planned Near-Earth Object Surveyor and expanded ground- and space-based surveys, plus international coordination and sustained funding, could provide crucial warning time to mitigate impacts, but a late discovery could still arrive with limited time to respond.

via Earth.com|

#asteroid-detection #nasa #near-earth-objects