New observations show that asteroid 1998 KY26 is a mere 11 meters across and spinning twice as fast as previously thought. The discovery adds complexity to Hayabusa2’s 2031 mission but also heightens ...
At this point in history, astronomers and engineers who grew up watching "Deep Impact" and "Armageddon," two movies about the destructive power of asteroid impacts, are likely in relatively high ...
If an asteroid is on a collision course with the moon, what should humanity do? Try to nudge the space rock out of the way before it strikes? Obliterate it with a nuclear explosion? Those are the ...
Because it's big enough to be deemed a "city killer," asteroid 2024 YR4 became a source of alarm due to the uncommonly high risk it had of colliding with Earth on Dec. 22, 2032. While Earth may no ...
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. When it smashed into Earth "with the energy of about 8 billion times a World War II-era nuclear ...
Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Japan’s Hyabusa2 space probe is currently about 105.5 million ...
Japan's Hayabusa 2 mission to asteroid 1998 KY26 might have unexpected challenges following new data on the rock's size, spin, and structure. Credit: ESO / M. Kornmesser / T. Santana-Ros et al. / ...
Hayabusa2's planned 2031 rendezvous with asteroid 1998 KY26 is significantly more complex than initially anticipated due to newly refined measurements indicating the asteroid is only 11 meters in ...
On December 6, 2020, the Hayabusa2 spacecraft dropped off pristine samples from asteroid Ryugu in the Australian outback, becoming the world’s second asteroid sample return mission, after the first ...
An artist's impression of Japan’s Hayabusa2 space mission touching down on the surface of the asteroid 1998 KY26. New observations with ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) have revealed that 1998 KY26 is ...
A distant asteroid that a Japanese spacecraft is en route to visit could be a much harder target to reach than previously thought, according to new telescope data. The asteroid, known as 1998 KY26, is ...
The tiny asteroid 1998 KY26 (center) is observed here by the Gemini South telescope, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, funded in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation and ...