Vesta and Orion

Night Sky Sights

Vesta Sets Sail Across Orion

Look who's visiting this winter in Orion: Vesta, a bright asteroid with a dark side.

Orbit

Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson

First Inter-Venusian Asteroid Hints at a New Population

The discovery of an asteroid inside Venus's orbit might be the first of a new population within the inner solar system.

Theia Impact

Solar System

Where Did Earth’s Trojans Go? Ask the Moon

Why doesn't Earth have Trojan asteroids of its own? Large impacts in the early years of the solar system may be to blame.

Asteroid makes close approach

Celestial News & Events

Watch an Asteroid Race Across the Sky

The kilometer-wide, potentially hazardous asteroid 1994 PC1 will fly past Earth on January 18th. Good news on two counts: It won't hit us, and it's bright enough to see in a 4-inch telescope.

Cool blue world

Night Sky Sights

Tiny Asteroid Flora and Mighty Uranus Team Up

Both Uranus and the asteroid 8 Flora came to opposition on Halloween. Catch them both in the same corner of the sky the next clear night.

2020 QU6

Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson

Amateur Astronomer Finds Kilometer-size Asteroid

A grant from the Planetary Society enabled an amateur astronomer's discovery of kilometer-size asteroid 2020 QU6.

Earth vs Hayabusa 2

Space Missions

Potential New Targets for Japan's Hayabusa 2 Mission

The Hayabusa 2 team has laid out a proposal for an extended mission to one of two asteroids after the spacecraft's sample return this December.

Asteroid illustration

Solar System

Exploring Links Between Nearby Asteroids

In preparation for the launch of Destiny+, a new study reveals that two near-Earth asteroids may share the same parent.

Explore the Night with Bob King

Chase a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid As It Flies by Earth

Break out your binoculars or a small telescope, we've got a busy week ahead! Watch as a bright asteroid approaches Earth, the Moon steals a star, and Comet ATLAS's last hurrah.

Mini-moon discovered

Celestial News & Events

Earth Has A Mini-Moon — But Not for Long!

Two astronomers discovered a temporary mini-moon captured by Earth — but it's about to win its freedom.

Protoplanet of intrigue

Asteroids

Pop in on Pallas and Iris Tonight

Break out your binoculars or telescope the next clear night for a peek at the bright asteroids Pallas and Iris, both at opposition this spring. 

Illustration of asteroids passing Earth

asteroid

Paintballs Clarify What Happens When an Asteroid Hits Earth’s Ocean

Coastal waves from mid-sized asteroid impacts might be more like a storm surge than a wall of watery destruction, according to NASA experiments with paintballs.

Illustration of Jupiter Trojans

Solar System

Trojan Asteroids Are in a Class of Their Own

Hordes of debris trapped by Jupiter and Neptune have distinct colors that mark them as possibly the last remnants of the material that built the giant planets.

Incoming!

Explore the Night with Bob King

Asteroid 2018 LA Explodes Over Botswana Hours After Discovery

Don't look now — it's already gone! Asteroid 2018 LA screeched into Earth's atmosphere only 7 hours after its discovery to create a Sun-bright spectacle over South Africa and Botswana.

Celestial News & Events

Asteroid 2018 CB Zips by Earth Friday: Watch it Online

Newly-discovered asteroid 2018 CB will be passing only about 44,000 miles away Friday and visible in modest telescopes.

Asteroids

Asteroid 3200 Phaethon: Geminid Parent at Its Closest and Brightest!

The parent asteroid of next month's Geminid meteor shower, 3200 Phaethon, is about to make a historically close flyby. Get ready to watch it race across the sky.

Explore the Night with Bob King

Asteroid Florence Pays Earth a Visit

Florence, one of the largest Earth-approaching asteroids, gets close enough to see in a small telescope this week and next. Here's how to find it.

Just Saying Hello

Asteroids

See a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid From Your Backyard

Get ready for 2014 JO25, the biggest asteroid to fly this close to Earth since 2004. Good news — even a 3-inch telescope will show it! Update: See below for a radar image and animation of 2014 JO25 captured by NASA's Goldstone Solar System Radar on April 18, 2017. Every week, a…

Non-threatening, favorable pass

Celestial News & Events

See Icarus Wing By Earth This Week

It's no myth. Icarus makes a rare flyby of Earth this week. Here's how to see it in your telescope and live online.