Articles tagged with Asteroids
Researchers found a new species of sea star that clones itself, allowing it to disperse globally and reach the Caribbean. The discovery was made using DNA barcoding and confirms the larvae's ability to clone themselves is a key factor in its distribution.
SwRI scientists studied the color, reflectivity, age, composition, origin and distribution of materials on asteroid Bennu's surface. The mission discovered carbon-bearing compounds and minerals containing or formed by water, which will help determine the scenarios that best explain Bennu's surface composition.
The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has provided detailed insights into the composition and structure of asteroid Bennu, a 'rubble pile' of carbon-rich material. Researchers have discovered that Bennu's surface has undergone complex evolution due to space weathering processes and that carbonate minerals are widespread across most of its surface.
The OSIRIS-REx mission has mapped the gravity field of asteroid Bennu, revealing a weaker and less dense core than previously thought. This could put the asteroid's survival at risk in the near future as it may slowly spin itself apart.
The OSIRIS-REx mission has published findings on asteroid Bennu's surface, including widespread carbon-bearing materials, bright carbonate veins, weak boulders, and a heterogeneous mass distribution. These discoveries suggest that asteroids like Bennu may have brought organic molecules to Earth billions of years ago.
An international research team found large diamonds and nanodiamonds in ureilite meteorites, suggesting they formed through massive impact events rather than continuous pressure in planetary precursors. The discovery challenges existing theories and provides insights into the extreme forces that shaped the early solar system.
Researchers at Hiroshima University have challenged a long-held timeline for cataclysmic events in the early solar system. The study suggests that the late heavy bombardment period started earlier and decreased in intensity over time.
Researchers discover two types of boulders on Ryugu, hinting at a collision between a small S-type and C-type parent asteroid. The findings provide clues to the asteroid's turbulent past and may shed light on Earth's history.
New study from University of Tokyo researchers calls into doubt a long-held theory about the early solar system. They found evidence that asteroid Vesta was hit by multiple impacting bodies around 4.4 billion to 4.15 billion years ago, earlier than previously thought.
The OSIRIS-REx mission reveals that asteroid Bennu sheds material periodically, with particles ejecting from the surface and orbiting or falling back onto it. The spacecraft's observations provide insight into the processes likely causing this activity, shedding new light on dynamic asteroids.
Northern Arizona University assistant professor Cristina Thomas has received NASA grants to study small Koronis asteroids and Trojan-like asteroids in the Main Asteroid Belt. Her research will help scientists better understand the origins of asteroids and provide insights into space weathering and material delivery to the belt.
The Arecibo Observatory successfully tracked asteroid 2020 NK1, determining its orbit and motion. The observations showed the asteroid poses no danger to Earth, with a closest approach in 2043. High-resolution images revealed an elongated shape and diameter of approximately 0.6 miles.
A scientific team has successfully simulated the formation of pallasites, a type of stony-iron meteorite, on an experimental basis. The experiments confirmed that both partial separation of core and mantle, and subsequent impact of another celestial body, are required for their formation.
A study by Osaka University researchers found that an asteroid of 100 km in diameter was disrupted 800 million years ago and caused a massive meteoroid impact, releasing approximately 30-60 times more material than the Chicxulub impact. This finding suggests that sporadic meteorite bombardment may have affected Earth's environment.
Scientists at São Paulo State University identify 19 Centaurs of interstellar origin with highly inclined orbits, suggesting they formed around other stars and were later captured by the Solar System. This discovery sheds light on the formation of the Solar System and the chemical enrichment of the Sun.
Researchers studied robotic explorers' impact on asteroid surfaces, finding that some rocks and boulders likely ricochet due to low gravity. The study provides critical information for designing successful asteroid missions.
Researchers at Imperial College London found that asteroid impact caused an impact winter decades long, decimating dinosaur habitats worldwide. In contrast, volcanic eruptions had a limited effect on global ecosystems.
Nonavian dinosaurs went extinct during the end-Cretaceous mass extinction due to a 10-15% reduction in sunlight caused by an asteroid impact. Simulations suggest that the asteroid impact was the main driver of nonavian dinosaur extinction, while volcanism might have mitigated its effects.
Researchers found ancient stardust and water on asteroid Vesta, suggesting a possible mechanism for delivering water to young Earth. The study provides insights into the formation of our solar system and the origins of water in the inner solar system.
Researchers have created the first global map of rockfalls on the Moon, revealing that asteroid impacts are responsible for over 80% of observed rockfalls. The map, based on over two million images, shows that even ancient lunar surfaces continue to be affected by erosion through rockfall.
Scientists propose that asteroids Bennu and Ryugu were formed directly as spinning-top shapes due to a collision, with their equatorial craters ruling out recent re-shaping. The team's computer simulations suggest two possible explanations for the different hydration levels of the two bodies.
Researchers at the University of Central Florida have created an Ice Favorability Index to aid in the detection of water ice deposits on the moon. The study provides valuable insights into the geological processes that form these deposits, enabling companies to better understand the risks and rewards of lunar mining.
Numerical simulations suggest asteroids Ryugu and Bennu may have formed from the disruption of a single parent asteroid. Analysis of return samples will verify this by measuring their composition and determining their formation age.
The asteroid impact at an estimated 60-degree angle led to the release of massive amounts of sulphur into the atmosphere, blocking sunlight and causing a nuclear winter. This event ultimately contributed to the extinction of dinosaurs and 75% of life on Earth 66 million years ago.
The ATLAS telescope has discovered an asteroid that exhibits cometary behavior, including a tail of dust or gas, near Jupiter's orbit. This finding challenges the long-held assumption that Jupiter Trojan asteroids should not display cometary characteristics.
Researchers studied Hayabusa2's readings from the Ryugu asteroid, finding evidence of solar heating that changed its chemical properties. This discovery sheds light on the early history of the solar system and the formation of asteroids.
High-resolution images capture Ryugu's asteroid surface in exceptional detail, revealing its geological history and color variations. The touchdown operation also disturbed a dark coating that corresponds to the surface's reddish materials, suggesting rapid solar heating during a temporary orbital excursion.
The Arecibo Observatory is tracking a near-Earth asteroid called 1998 OR2, which has unique topographic features that resemble a face mask. The asteroid's size and rotation period have been confirmed through observations, and monitoring its trajectory will help improve impact-risk mitigation technologies.
Researchers report a catastrophic collision between two large asteroids in the Fomalhaut system, producing a large dust cloud that gradually dispersed over time. The observations suggest rare collisions of this magnitude are expected to be rare in dynamically quiescent systems.
The Hayabusa2 spacecraft impacted asteroid Ryugu, creating an artificial crater that provided insights into the asteroid's age and surface cohesion. The results suggest a younger age estimate for Ryugu, with implications for surface age estimations of other rubble-pile asteroids.
Researchers propose that Mercury's surface chemistry lab, fueled by solar winds and hot temperatures, can produce ice over a period of 3 million years. This process could account for up to 10% of Mercury's total ice reserves.
Researchers find tiny iron crystals on asteroid Itokawa's surface, formed by space weathering and the release of iron from troilite minerals. The discovery provides insights into weathering processes on other celestial bodies and helps date asteroids.
Researchers have linked enriched chalcophile elements like copper and silver to the end-Cretaceous asteroid impact at the Yucatán Peninsula. These elements were likely supplied to the ocean through processes related to the impact, including iron oxides/hydroxides acting as a carrier phase.
Researchers from Curtin University analyzed volcanic meteorites from Antarctica to understand Asteroid Vesta's geological history. The study found that Vesta was volcanically active for at least 30 million years after its formation, contradicting previous models and suggesting pockets of magma survived on the asteroid.
Researchers develop framework to consider asteroid mass, momentum, and warning time to determine most successful deflection mission. The method could be used to design optimal mission configuration and campaign to deflect potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroids.
According to a University of Warwick astronomer, the majority of stars in the universe will become luminous enough to blast surrounding asteroids into successively smaller fragments. This process will be triggered by the YORP effect, which creates an imbalance that spins up orbiting asteroids until they break apart.
Scientists at Curtin University have discovered the Yarrabubba crater, dated to 2.229 billion years ago, coinciding with the end of a global deep freeze known as Snowball Earth. The research suggests that the asteroid impact may have influenced global climate by vaporizing ice and releasing greenhouse gases.
Researchers found that asteroid impact was primary cause of K/Pg mass extinction, while volcanic outgassing played role in shaping species after event. Volcanic emissions altered carbon cycle, allowing oceans to absorb CO2, limiting global warming and potentially influencing Cenozoic life.
A Yale-led team of researchers argue that asteroid impacts, not volcanoes, were the primary cause of the mass extinction event that killed the dinosaurs. The study's findings contradict recent work on the Deccan Traps, massive eruptions in India that occurred around the time of the K-Pg extinction event.
Researchers identified secondary and tertiary fission clusters in young asteroid families formed by collision. The discovery challenges the long-held view that fission clusters and collisional families are distinct.
The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft captured images of material being ejected from asteroid Bennu's surface, revealing three discrete events of particle ejection. The authors suggest micro-meteorite impacts and dehydration as possible causes, with implications for the asteroid's evolution.
Researchers analyzed Ryugu asteroid's impact craters to understand its geological history. The study revealed that the eastern hemisphere was formed earlier than the western hemisphere, with more craters found at lower latitudes.
The mission detected 54 impacts from micrometeoroids, mostly from short-period comets with Jupiter-determined orbits. The findings help refine dust models used in various studies, including planet formation and spacecraft impact risks.
Astronomers using ESO's SPHERE instrument have observed Hygiea, the fourth largest asteroid in the belt, and found it could be classified as a dwarf planet due to its spherical shape. The team's observations put Hygiea's diameter at over 430 km.
A new study has confirmed that a massive asteroid impact led to the extinction of dinosaurs and much of life on Earth. The impact caused rapid ocean acidification, which lasted for tens of thousands of years before life forms recovered and the carbon cycle reached a new equilibrium.
A new study suggests that a giant asteroid collision 466 million years ago caused an ancient ice age by releasing massive amounts of extraterrestrial dust into the atmosphere, leading to global cooling. This phenomenon allowed life to adapt and thrive in changing temperatures.
Researchers from Lund University found that a massive asteroid impact 470 million years ago led to a unique ice age and increased biodiversity in the inner solar system. The study suggests that dust from such an event could be used to cool the planet and mitigate climate change.
Scientists confirm scenario that dinosaurs died due to global cooling after asteroid impact, with rocks recording wildfires and sulfur absence within 24 hours. The research provides the most detailed look yet into the aftermath of the catastrophe.
Researchers analyzed core samples from the Chicxulub impact crater, revealing that top layers contained soil biomarkers suggesting a tsunami brought terrestrial material back to the site. The study also found evidence of impact-induced wildfires and a lack of sulfur-rich evaporites, implying a massive release of sulfate aerosols.
Images taken by Hayabusa2's lander on Ryugu's surface show rocks bearing similarities to primitive meteorites called carbonaceous chondrites, supporting theories that the asteroid formed during a cataclysmic event. The findings also reveal an unusual lack of fine particles or dust on the surface.
Researchers at Arizona State University have discovered the largest known impact crater in the US, which was formed 35 million years ago and lies buried beneath the Chesapeake Bay. The crater's age was determined using a new dating technique, providing valuable insights into the Earth's history.
Researchers at Washington State University have improved the software used to track thousands of near-Earth asteroids and comets, reducing modeling time from months to just hours. This breakthrough enables scientists to better predict asteroid orbits and potential collisions with Earth.
Scientists uncover precise timing of a large-scale collision on Vesta, explaining its lopsided shape and differentiation into crust, mantle, and metallic core. The study provides a confident framework for understanding Vesta's geological timeline, shedding light on protoplanet formation and the early Solar System.
Researchers at Arizona State University have detected water in samples from the asteroid Itokawa, which suggests that impacts early in Earth's history may have delivered as much as half of our planet's ocean water. The team used ASU's NanoSIMS technology to analyze tiny mineral grains and found they were enriched in water compared to o...
Astronomers use thermal wavelengths to spot near-Earth objects, providing critical details for defensive strategies. This technique enables the calculation of energy required to nudge an object away from Earth's trajectory, shedding light on the solar system's formation.
A team of researchers discovered a primitive class of meteorite containing a slice of carbon-rich material similar to extraterrestrial dust particles thought to have originated in comets near the outer edges of the Solar System. This finding provides insights into the Solar System's architecture and formation.
Astronomers used asteroid occultations to measure the smallest apparent size of a star on the night sky, revealing the diameter of a giant star and a sun-like star. The new method provides ten times better resolution than standard lunar occultation methods.
A tiny piece of a comet has been discovered inside a primitive meteorite, providing insights into the solar system's structure and evolution. The finding is significant as it reveals details about how our solar system took shape during its early stages.
Researchers discovered the diameter of a giant red giant star 2,674 light-years away and a sun-like star at 700 light-years, setting a record for the smallest star measured. The team used asteroid occultations to calculate the stars' sizes with high accuracy.
Researchers propose that metallic asteroids could have erupted volcanoes spewing liquid iron, with signs of 'ferrovolcanism' potentially detectable in iron meteorites. The study suggests NASA's Psyche mission may uncover evidence of past eruptions on the asteroid.