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New 'quasi-moon' discovered in Earth orbit may have been hiding there for decades
By Elizabeth Howell published
A near-Earth asteroid lurked undetected for decades until a telescope in Hawaii spotted it earlier this year. It may be Earth's newest quasi-moon.

When is the fall equinox, and why does it happen?
By Jamie Carter published
On Monday, Sept. 22, day and night will be nearly equal in length as Earth's axis is side-on to the sun, officially beginning autumn in the Northern Hemisphere.

Newly discovered bus-size asteroid will zoom close past Earth today — and will not return for exactly 100 years
By Harry Baker published
Asteroid 2025 QV5, which was first spotted in late August, will make a close approach to Earth on Wednesday (Sept. 3). It will not get this near to us again until Sept. 4, 2125.

Cataclysmic crash with neighboring planet may be the reason there's life on Earth today, new studies hint
By Elizabeth Howell published
Early Earth may not have had the right ingredients for life — until a nearby Mars-size planet crashed into it, two new studies hint.

'Space hurricane' caught raging over North Pole during one of the sun's quietest days
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
A rare "space hurricane" that swirled over Earth's North Pole in 2014 caused intense space weather effects despite unusually quiet solar conditions, a new study reports.

Meteorite that crash landed through Georgia man's roof is 20 million years older than Earth, scientists say
By Patrick Pester published
Researchers have analyzed the McDonough meteorite, which crashed through a man's home in June, and determined that it is older than our planet.

Earth, Mars, Venus — and a long-lost planet — may have once 'waltzed' in perfect harmony around the sun
By Abha Jain published
New simulations suggest that up to four of the solar system's rocky planets, including Earth and a long-lost world, once orbited in mathematical harmony around the infant sun.

NASA spacecraft snaps images of lunar transit and Earth eclipse on the same day — see the photos
By Skyler Ware published
The Solar Dynamics Observatory saw a lunar transit and an Earth eclipse on July 25 — the first when the moon passed between it and the sun, and another when Earth did the same.
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