Posted on AASNova, an aggregator for publications of AAS (the American Astronomical Society): https://aasnova.org/2026/01/28/monthly-roundup-interstellar-visitor-3i-atlas/Kerry Hensley, 28 January 2026 Monthly Roundup: Interstellar Visitor 3I/ATLAS Spoiler: it’s a comet. The release of chunks that, themselves, release gas (“hyperactivity”) is a bit odd,… Read More »ATLAS Jan Wrapup (…so far)
Kelly Fast, current head of NASA’s PDCO (Planetary Defense Coordination Office), explains IAWN (the International Asteroid Warning Network) in a Nature piece (well, Nature Reviews Physics– a Nature title). https://www.nature.com/articles/s42254-025-00912-7May Chiao, 05 January 2026 Inside the International Asteroid Warning Network… Read More »Nature Interviews Kelly Fast
Going on this moment: the Macao International Forum on Space and Planetary Sciences 2026: ifmacao.must.edu.mo In the program (https://ifmacao.must.edu.mo/program-detail): Xiaodong WANG, Solar Wind, Cometary Ions and Energetic Neutral Atoms (SCIENA) Sensor for the ESA Comet Interceptor Mission Long XIAO, The… Read More »Macau Forum on Space and Planetary Sciences
The James Webb Space Telescope certainly is capable. A better question: given the limited time James Webb has to observe, what should we prioritize, what should be handed off to other (lesser, let’s say) telescopes, and what about all the… Read More »JWST Survey: Small-Body Science
Just in the latest Nature issue (vol 649 #8098): https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00188-6Michael Eisenstein, 21 January 2026 Seven technologies to watch in 2026 “Scientists excel at discovering limits — and then pushing beyond them.” The illustrious journal Nature cites the pusher, Vera Rubin.… Read More »To Watch the Watchers?
Catching up yet again with Advances In Space Research for 15 Jan 2026 (vol. 77 #2), a mid-month issue: Liu, D. Yan, W. Liu, J. et al. Close-proximity imaging and 3D modeling simulation analysis of asteroid 2016HO3 Pg 2637 .2025.12.002Wu,… Read More »Note, Paper: Close… Maybe Too Close
The January Meteoritics & Planetary Science (vol. 61, #1) is up today. Good on them for recognizing they were behind: Fukai, R. Nishimura, M. Yumoto, K. et al. Nondestructive analysis of Bennu samples toward comparative studies with Ryugu samples P.… Read More »Note, Paper: Sample Analysis And Impacts
In the January 2026 issue of Planetary and Space Science (vol. 270): Courtot, A. Shober, P. Vaubaillon, J. Orbit dissimilarity criteria in meteor showers: A comparative review Art 106231 .2025.106231 The dissimilarity criterion (“D” value) is how we group meteoroids… Read More »Note, Paper: Meteor Cohere Inquiry
Aired Wednesday night, and also available online- a PBS asteroid documentary: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/asteroids-spark-of-life/Nova: Asteroids: Spark of Life? Earth started off as a barren rock. Somehow, it became inhabitable and inhabited. Here we see some of the possible stages in that process,… Read More »Asteroids: Spark of Life? Documentary
As I had briefly mentioned: the Catalina Sky Survey, one of Earth’s premiere asteroid detector systems, is hiring an observatory tech (or two): https://arizona.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/4/home/requisition/24868Survey Operations Specialist, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (updated) One prerequisite: you’ll be on a mountaintop, in the… Read More »Catalina Sky Survey Hiring