asteroids

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asteroidsasteroids
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The Seven Stages of Brief (meteor phenomena)
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The Seven Stages of Brief (meteor phenomena)

How an asteroid passes through Earth’s atmosphere and eventually becomes a meteorite

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
Hubble Space TelescopeHubble Space Telescope
+5+5
The moon got a new crater!

The moon got a new crater!

It happened in 2024 and it's more than two football fields across. Also: 8 hours of Crash Course Astronomy

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
asteroidsasteroids
+5+5
A BAN issue that glows across the universe in space and time
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A BAN issue that glows across the universe in space and time

Also: Predicting where meteorites fall before a small asteroid impact

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
cometscomets
+7+7
A ringed centaur surprises astronomers
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A ringed centaur surprises astronomers

We knew the small icy world Chariklo has rings. We didn’t know they changed over time.

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
cometscomets
+7+7
SpaceX rocket booster will hit the moon on Wednesday

SpaceX rocket booster will hit the moon on Wednesday

The impact flash might — might — be visible to telescopes on Earth

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
aliensaliens
+7+7
A search for technologically advanced aliens instead finds hot dogs
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A search for technologically advanced aliens instead finds hot dogs

Yeah, let me explain

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
cometscomets
+8+8
Two more asteroids seen up close

Two more asteroids seen up close

And they’re very different from each other. Plus: Swift boost mission launches

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
solar systemsolar system
+5+5
The immense Vera C. Rubin sky survey has begun!

The immense Vera C. Rubin sky survey has begun!

This will be a huge game changer for astronomy

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
climate changeclimate change
+3+3
Bennu holds on to rocks, Antarctica is paradoxically gaining ice
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Bennu holds on to rocks, Antarctica is paradoxically gaining ice

A tiny asteroid retains small rocks even with low gravity, and Antarctica net ice loss reverses even as gross ice loss increases

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
miscellanymiscellany
+6+6
No aliens for Boyajian’s Star, and trees reach up to connect electrically with the sky
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No aliens for Boyajian’s Star, and trees reach up to connect electrically with the sky

The star seems to have settled its unsettling behavior down, and corona discharges from trees finally seen in the wild

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
exoplanetsexoplanets
+6+6
A new mini-moon for Earth next year, two moon-sized exoworlds collided
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A new mini-moon for Earth next year, two moon-sized exoworlds collided

We get a second moon, kinda, for a week in 2027. Also, a cosmic train wreck around another star

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
MarsMars
+5+5
Psyche peeks at Mars before a gravitational rendezvous

Psyche peeks at Mars before a gravitational rendezvous

Also: The world is leaving the US behind in solar and wind power

Philip Plait
Philip Plait