Asteroids are rocky objects that orbit the sun, and although the vast majority of asteroids are harmless, there are often close shaves with our planet. Live Science is here to put asteroid threats into perspective and answer all of your asteroid-related questions, from whether an asteroid could destroy Earth to why asteroids and comets are such weird shapes.
Whether it’s the fastest-orbiting asteroid in our solar system, a 600-foot asteroid detected near Earth or NASA proving humanity can deflect killer asteroids with rockets, our expert writers and editors are on point to separate the potentially hazardous from the mostly harmless. So, for everything you need to know about the sizeable stones that share our solar system check out the latest asteroid news, features and articles.
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Latest about Asteroids
$100,000 quadrillion asteroid Psyche may be the product of metal volcanoes, study hints
The metal-coated asteroid Psyche may have had eruptions of molten iron and nickel on its surface. This situation was more likely if the space rock is made of the same chemicals as metal-rich meteorites, a new study suggests.
Sneaky asteroid zooms past Antarctica closer than a satellite — and astronomers didn't catch it until hours after
A small, giraffe-size asteroid called 2025 TF came closer to Earth than some satellites on Wednesday (Oct. 1), stunning astronomers who first spotted it hours later.
Our solar system's asteroid belt is slowly disappearing
A new analysis estimates that the asteroid belt is steadily losing mass each year, and may not be as permanent a feature of the solar system as we thought.
Science history: DART, humanity’s first-ever asteroid deflection mission, punches a space rock in the face — Sept. 26, 2022
On Sept. 26, 2022, NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test craft smashed into its target, the hazardous asteroid Dimorphos, and raised hopes that a space rock could be deflected from a collision course with Earth.
'City killer' asteroid could be nuked before close encounter with the moon
The potential 'city killer' asteroid 2024 YR4 has a small chance of hitting the moon in 2032. In a new paper, scientists probe the logistics of destroying it — possibly with nuclear weapons — before it comes too close.
What happened to the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs?
A killer asteroid slammed into Earth at 27,000 mph around 66 million years ago. Where is it now?
Skyscraper-size asteroid previously predicted to hit us in 60 years will zoom past Earth on Thursday (Sept. 18) — and you can see it live
The "potentially hazardous" asteroid 2025 FA22 will fly close past Earth at more than 24,000 mph on Thursday (Sept. 18). The space rock was previously predicted to have a slim chance of impacting our planet in 2089, temporarily earning it the top spot on a major risk list.
'A genuine surprise': Near-Earth asteroid Ryugu once had 'flowing water' that transformed its insides
A new analysis of asteroid Ryugu hints that the "potentially hazardous" space rock once had flowing water in its core, possibly leftover from the impact that created it.
