2004 GU9’s circular orbit around Earth. | Source: Data source: HORIZONS System, JPL, NASA, wiki User: Created by Phoenix7777 There are usually two names for things in space. One is official, the other is fun. It makes sense. Researchers have their own exoplanet catalogs and black hole references are consistent, communicable, and clear — but… Read More »
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific advances and more. When NASA scientists tracked the orbits of two space rocks that recently approached Earth, they made a surprising discovery: One of the asteroids has a small moon. Astronomers regularly track the orbits of asteroids to… Read More »
NASA’s Goldstone planetary radar system recently recorded two near-Earth asteroids, 2024 MK and 2011 UL21, passing by our planet. Perhaps a little worryingly, it was detected just 13 days before either one passed safely past. Soilbut scientists at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) assures us that it never posed a threat in Southern California, but… Read More »
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. Early analysis of a sample collected from the asteroid Bennu suggests the space rock has an unexpectedly water-rich past and may even have broken up from an ancient ocean world. NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission collected a… Read More »
Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskids@theconversation.com. Why do some planets have moons and some don’t? – Siddharth, 6 years old, Texas On Earth, you can look up at night and see the Moon shining from hundreds… Read More »
A threatening asteroid could bring Earth’s oft-quarreling nations together, at least for a while. Dealing with a large, dangerous asteroid in the crosshairs of our planet will require a healthy dose of international cooperation, experts say, and it’s best to start thinking about that scenario now while we have enough time to determine a potential… Read More »
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific breakthroughs and more. The Voyager 1 spacecraft is sending back a steady stream of scientific data from unexplored regions for the first time since a computer glitch sidelined the historic NASA mission seven months ago. Voyager 1, currently… Read More »
A missing piece of Earth’s evolutionary timeline may have been found. Using computational modelling, a team of scientists explored how working backwards from modern biochemistry could help map how simple, non-living chemicals were present in early history. Soil It gave rise to complex molecules that gave rise to life as we know it. Researchers believe… Read More »
Scientists believe Earth may have briefly lost its protection from the sun about two million years ago, left to endure the extreme environment of interstellar space, as the solar system passed through a dense cloud of gas and dust between stars. At that time, early human ancestors shared our planet with prehistoric animals such as… Read More »
SpaceX’s Starship flew into space and back, but suffered visible damage as it crashed to Earth. The rocket’s fin began to break off in mid-autumn and the camera lens cracked. Starship’s splashdown was a huge step towards reusability, and Elon Musk claimed victory. SpaceX’s Starship megarocket scored a major victory Thursday on the road to… Read More »