asteroid

Asteroid 2024 YR4 is in the news again, with NASA Science publishing new material about the space rock. The asteroid drew worldwide attention after astronomers briefly flagged a small chance it could hit Earth in 2032, before further observations reduced that risk. Interest now centres on updated NASA assessments of its trajectory.

Asteroid Psyche, a metal-rich object between Mars and Jupiter, is in the news as NASA continues its mission to reach it. The spacecraft, launched in October 2023, is traveling toward the asteroid to study what may be the exposed core of an ancient protoplanet, offering clues about how rocky planets like Earth formed.

A claim is circulating that the world could end on Friday, November 13, 2026. The date is being examined by science communicators, who weigh predicted catastrophes against what researchers actually expect to happen. There is no credible scientific evidence that humanity faces a specific doomsday on that date, but the question has drawn wide attention as audiences debate asteroid risks, pandemic scenarios and other existential threats.

The Cosmic Optics blog has published its October 2026 update, covering topics that span from a near-Earth asteroid's surface to the oldest light in the universe. The roundup highlights cloudless sulfur skies, magma-covered worlds, and other space phenomena examined during the month, with the archive now updated for readers following the astronomy coverage.

The SETI Institute is airing a live discussion titled 'Prospecting the Solar System Without Landing', focused on how scientists can assess and potentially exploit resources on asteroids, the Moon and other bodies using remote sensing rather than crewed or robotic landings. The conversation covers telescopic and spacecraft-based techniques for identifying minerals, water ice and other materials of interest. It reflects growing interest in planetary resources as space agencies and private companies weigh future exploration and mining efforts.

Researchers have unveiled an improved asteroid deflection model that runs significantly faster than previous versions, allowing more scenarios to be tested. The quicker simulations have reportedly surfaced additional worrying cases where deflecting a dangerous asteroid might be harder than assumed, renewing discussion about planetary defence readiness.

The near-Earth asteroid 2014 UV115 is passing Earth today at a distance of roughly 18.5 million kilometres, according to tracking data shared with NASA hashtags. The object is estimated at up to 169.8 metres across, placing it in the category of mid-sized space rocks monitored under planetary defence programmes. There is no indication of any risk, but alerts of this kind circulate widely because large asteroid flybys attract attention.

Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have developed an improved asteroid deflection model that runs faster than previous versions and uncovered new concerns about planetary defence. Physicist Nathan Moore said the team expected an asteroid's aim point to matter in deflection scenarios, but were surprised by how much it does. The findings suggest that small errors in nudging a hazardous asteroid off course could carry greater consequences than previously assumed.

NASA's DART spacecraft altered the orbit of the asteroid Dimorphos on 26 September 2022, the first time humanity changed the path of a Solar System object. Commenters note that while the orbit shift was measured, scientists still do not fully understand what the impact did to the asteroid itself. ESA's Hera mission, a small-car-sized spacecraft, is expected to provide closer answers about the crater and internal structure.

A new explorable piece examines how mathematics and physics have been used to predict catastrophic scenarios, from asteroid impacts to climate tipping points and existential risks. It walks through the models scientists rely on when estimating how the world could end, and how accurate those predictions have proven. Readers are weighing how seriously such doomsday forecasting should be taken.

Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories report that where a nuclear device is detonated on an asteroid's surface can change the deflection effect by up to a factor of five. The simulations suggest aim placement is a critical variable in any future planetary defense mission against a hazardous near-Earth object.

Asteroid trackers are flagging object 2026 UE2, estimated at 3-6 metres across, which will pass Earth on 29 October 2026 at around 01:26 UTC at a distance of roughly 123,737 kilometres, about a third of the way to the Moon, travelling at 7.7 km/s. Attention is also turning to 2021 VC4, an object expected to make its own close approach within the following week.

The near-Earth asteroid 2019 VQ1 is passing Earth today at a distance of about 14.5 million kilometres. The object is estimated at up to roughly 143 metres across, making it one of the larger space rocks tracked in routine planetary defence monitoring. NASA tracks such flybys as part of its ongoing asteroid watch, and close-approach alerts like this one circulate widely among space enthusiasts each time a sizeable object passes by.

The near-Earth asteroid 524522 Zoozve, also designated 2002 VE68, is passing Earth today, coming within roughly 6 million kilometres. Measuring up to about 463.5 metres across, the object poses no threat, but its close approach has drawn attention from space watchers and planetary defence enthusiasts tracking its orbit.

The near-Earth asteroid 2021 UN7, estimated at up to 126.5 metres across, is passing Earth today at a distance of roughly 15.3 million kilometres. Space watchers are sharing the flyby details, tagging NASA and planetary defense topics. At that distance the object poses no threat, but its size and close approach tracking draw routine attention from asteroid-monitoring enthusiasts.

Asteroid 2004 TP1, estimated to be up to 430.6 metres across, is passing Earth today at a distance of about 9.3 million kilometres. The object poses no threat, but near-Earth passes of this size are routinely tracked by NASA and space enthusiasts who share alerts under planetary defence topics.

New research on the dwarf planet Ceres suggests that water ice near the surface can obscure large deposits of salt, complicating scientists' readings of the asteroid belt's largest body. The finding matters for interpreting data from missions like Dawn and for understanding where brines and ice are truly located beneath Ceres' cratered surface.