asteroid

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43M-Year-Old Impact Formed Rare Undersea Crater
43M-Year-Old Impact
Formed Rare Undersea Crater
NEW STUDY
Sep 23, 2025 6:01 AM CDT

43M-Year-Old Impact Formed Rare Undersea Crater

New research settles decades-long debate over Silverpit crater's origin

(Newser) - Scientists have finally confirmed that a mysterious crater half a mile beneath the North Sea was carved out by a massive asteroid strike more than 43 million years ago—ending decades of debate over its origin. The Silverpit crater, discovered 80 miles off the Yorkshire coast by petroleum geoscientists...

Earth Has a Small 'Quasi-Moon'
Earth Has a Small
'Quasi-Moon'
new study
Sep 22, 2025 12:07 PM CDT

Earth Has a Small 'Quasi-Moon'

Asteroid 2025 PN7 has been shadowing Earth for decades

(Newser) - A small asteroid has been quietly following the Earth around the sun for decades, and this "quasi-moon" is expected to stick around for a while longer before shooting off into space. The asteroid dubbed 2025 PN7 was first detected in August by the Pan-STARRS observatory in Hawaii, but...

He Was 14 Feet Away When Meteorite Struck at 2,237mph
He Was 14 Feet Away When
Meteorite Struck at 2,237mph
in case you missed it
Aug 16, 2025 6:00 AM CDT

He Was 14 Feet Away When Meteorite Struck at 2,237mph

Scientists say McDonough space rock predates our planet by 20M years

(Newser) - A meteorite that crashed through a Georgia home in June has turned out to be a true relic of the early solar system—older than Earth itself, according to researchers. The meteorite streaked across the sky in daylight before breaking apart and landing in McDonough, Georgia, on June 26....

These Critters Outlasted Dino-Killing Asteroid, Still Thrive

DNA study reveals ancient origins, resilience of the night lizard

(Newser) - A new study sheds light on some unlikely survivors of the asteroid impact that wiped out most dinosaurs 66 million years ago: night lizards. According to research published Wednesday in Biology Letters , these small reptiles—found today in parts of North and Central America—managed to persist despite living...

Near-Earth Asteroid Has Surprising Shape

2024 YR4 is more like a hockey puck than the more common potato shape

(Newser) - The asteroid that once had a small chance of striking Earth and now might slam into the moon resembles a spinning hockey puck, scientists said this week. A team of astronomers used the Gemini South Observatory in Chile to observe asteroid 2024 YR4 in multiple wavelengths as it zoomed away...

You Can Stop Losing Sleep Over That Asteroid

We're now at 'impact probability zero folks' for 2024 YR4

(Newser) - It looks like 2024 YR4 may be a nothingburger after all. The asteroid was discovered at the end of last year and is expected to make a super-close drive-by in 2032—but it grabbed a sea of headlines last week after NASA put the odds of it making a direct...

In Just Weeks, Odds of an Asteroid Hit Have Doubled
Nevermind on Those
2032 Asteroid Collision Odds
UPDATED
Feb 20, 2025 1:50 AM CST

Nevermind on Those 2032 Asteroid Collision Odds

NASA put the odds at 3.1%, then back down to 1.5%

(Newser) - Well, nevermind. The day after NASA put the odds of an asteroid collision in 2032 at 3.1%, additional analysis was carried out and as of Wednesday the odds were back down to 1.5%, CBS News reports. With the latest estimate, NASA said it "expects the impact probability...

China Is Hiring for 'Planetary Defense Force'

Job posts follow discovery of an asteroid with a small chance of hitting Earth

(Newser) - China is not taking the 2% chance of a large asteroid colliding with Earth in 2032 lying down. Weeks after the discovery of the asteroid 2024 YR4, which we still know little about, China's State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND) has listed 16 available...

Chances of Asteroid Hitting Earth in 2032 Just Went Up

There's now a 2% chance of impact

(Newser) - The chances of a large asteroid slamming into Earth in 2032 have gone up but it's still far too early for 2024 YR4 to be a major worry, astronomers say. The European Space Agency says there is now a 2% chance of the asteroid hitting on Dec. 22, 2032,...

Are We All Aliens? Asteroid Samples Yield Ingredients of Life

Bennu samples also indicate it was part of an ancient water world

(Newser) - Asteroid samples fetched by NASA hold not only the pristine building blocks for life but also the salty remains of an ancient water world, scientists reported Wednesday. The findings provide the strongest evidence yet that asteroids may have planted the seeds of life on Earth and that these ingredients were...

College Student Gives Fitting Name to Our Quasi-Moon

2004 GU9 will henceforth be known as Cardea

(Newser) - A sophomore taking part in an introductory astronomy class at the University of Georgia has already made a "small contribution to science" in naming a special asteroid dancing around Earth, per the New York Times . In June, the International Astronomical Union, in charge of naming space objects, held a...

Tonight Could Bring Some of 2024's Final Fireballs

Annual Geminids meteor shower is set to peak on Friday evening

(Newser) - The Geminids—among the few major meteor showers to come from asteroids—peak on Friday, one of the year's last chances to see fireballs in the sky. The shower often produces meteors with a distinctly more yellow glow, likely due to the unusual origin material, said Sally Brummel, planetarium...

Spacecraft Launched for 'Crash Scene Investigation'

Hera will take a close look at asteroid rammed by NASA spacecraft 2 years ago

(Newser) - A spacecraft blasted off Monday to investigate the scene of a cosmic crash. The European Space Agency's Hera spacecraft rocketed away on a two-year journey to the small, harmless asteroid rammed by NASA two years ago in a dress rehearsal for the day a killer space rock threatens Earth,...

Asteroid Detected Hours Before Earth Impact

It's only the 9th time this has happened

(Newser) - A small asteroid discovered on Wednesday harmlessly burned up in Earth's atmosphere the same day, NASA said. The asteroid—about 3 feet across—was spotted by astronomers in Arizona and broke apart over the coast of the Philippines hours after the discovery. This space rock, dubbed 2024 RW1, is...

Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Was Formed Beyond Jupiter
Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid
Had a Distant Origin
NEW STUDY
Aug 16, 2024 8:45 AM CDT

Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Had a Distant Origin

Researchers say it formed beyond Jupiter

(Newser) - The asteroid that doomed the dinosaurs came to Earth from a distant neighborhood, researchers say. In a study published in the journal Science , researchers say analysis of isotopes confirmed that the asteroid that hit a site called Chicxulub 66 million years ago was a carbon-rich asteroid that formed in the...

Dinosaurs' Extinction May Have Been the Birth of Wine

Plant that gave rise to commercial grapes spread in dense forests after asteroid impact

(Newser) - Had an asteroid not struck the planet some 66 million years ago, dinosaurs might still exist—but there would potentially be no wine. According to researchers, grapes might have originated only after the Chicxulub impact transformed the environment, wiping out 76% of all living species, per IFL Science . "We...

2 Massive Asteroids Enter the Neighborhood

No risk to Earth, but a great chance to learn

(Newser) - An asteroid large enough to destroy a city will make a rare pass by Earth this weekend, coming close enough to spot with a telescope, "or perhaps even with some good binoculars," per the New York Times . Thankfully, there's a 0% chance that 2024 MK, discovered less...

NASA Has Successfully Nudged an Asteroid
NASA Did a Number
On the Asteroid It Hit
UPDATED
Mar 20, 2024 9:55 AM CDT

NASA Did a Number On the Asteroid It Hit

Dimorphos' shape was changed, in addition to its orbit time, a new study finds

(Newser) - It's safe to say NASA's test of whether an asteroid could be nudged off a collision path with Earth was a success. The DART spacecraft's impact with the asteroid Dimorphos not only shaved 33 minutes and 15 seconds off the time it takes to circle its parent...

NASA Hits the Jackpot on Its 'Rubble Return Goal'

OSIRIS-REx spacecraft returned double the expected samples from asteroid Bennu

(Newser) - NASA finally has counted up all the asteroid samples returned by a spacecraft last fall—and it's double the rubble return goal. Officials reported Thursday that the Osiris-Rex spacecraft collected 4.29 ounces of dust and pebbles from asteroid Bennu. That's just over half a cup and the...

Asteroid Size of Empire State Building Is About to Fly By Earth

2008 OS7 will come within 1.7M miles of our planet on Friday, though experts assure that it won't hit us

(Newser) - An asteroid as big as a skyscraper will pass within 1.7 million miles of Earth on Friday. But it's not on a collision course with us, as it will pass seven times the distance from Earth to the moon, per the AP . NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object...

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