asteroid
Latest about asteroid
Asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs allowed flowers to thrive in a post-apocalyptic world
By Patrick Pester published
Scientists have discovered flowering plants were largely unscathed by the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction event 66 million years ago, allowing them to take advantage of the new, dinosaur-free planet.
Science news this week: A giant gator and a wobbly asteroid
By Alexander McNamara published
Sept. 17, 2023: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend.
5 asteroids will skim past Earth over the next 2 days, NASA says
By Ben Turner published
The five asteroids range from plane to bus-size, and one is expected to come to within half a million miles of Earth.
What is OSIRIS-REx? Everything you need to know about the 1st NASA spacecraft to land on an asteroid
By Ben Turner published
OSIRIS-REx is due to make its return to Earth on Sept. 24. Here's everything you need to know about the mission and what it may reveal about the beginning — and the potential end — of life on Earth.
How many 'city killer' asteroids narrowly miss Earth each year?
By Steven Tingay published
Last year Earth had more than 100 close encounters with large asteroids. What are the odds of a direct hit in the near future?
'Swarm of boulders' in space shows the gory aftermath of NASA's asteroid-smashing DART mission
By Ben Turner published
The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) has left a vast field of rubble strewn around asteroid Dimorphos, Hubble images show.
A skyscraper-size asteroid flew closer to Earth than the moon — and scientists didn't notice until 2 days later
By Brandon Specktor published
A stealthy asteroid the size of a 20-story building hid in the sun's glare before zooming uncomfortably close to Earth on July 13. Scientists didn't notice until July 15.
A nearby supernova nearly blew our solar system to bits 4 billion years ago, new research suggests
By Robert Lea published
A supernova that erupted when a massive star died could have destroyed our infant solar system — if it weren't protected by a cocoon of molecular gas.
'Anomalous' metal spheres unlikely to be alien technology, despite Harvard scientist's claim
By Joanna Thompson published
A prominent extraterrestrial-hunting scientist thinks that more than 50 tiny, metal spheres pulled from the Pacific Ocean might be the work of intelligent aliens. Others are skeptical.
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