Space Science Reviews comes through again. Now up (vol. 221) is a detailed (!) paper on the two optical imaging instruments (“cameras”) of the Psyche mission: Bell, J.F., Ravine, M.A., Caplinger, M.A. et al. The Psyche Multispectral Imager Investigation: Characterizing… Read More »Note, Paper: Psyche’s Eyes Fly
A quick story in the journal Science: https://www.science.org/content/article/china-sets-out-sample-unusual-near-earth-asteroid Dennis Normile China sets out to sample an unusual near-Earth asteroid .z2q2idq Normile describes the Chinese Tianwen-2 mission and its target, the Earth-resonant asteroid (469219) Kamo’oalewa. The asteroid has the unusual property… Read More »Out of Ecliptic, In Patch
Congrats to director Wes Anderson, auteur of (among other things- lots of other things) 2023’s Asteroid City. The actual asteroid numbered 689822, formerly designated 2013 PU10, is now officially asteroid (689822) Anderson.
The IAA’s Planetary Defense Conference for 2025 (every odd year) is now going on in Stellenbosch (basically Cape Town), South Africa. No, I am not attending, and …arrg, the program still says “preliminary.” Well, for what it’s worth, here’s the… Read More »2025 Planetary Defense Conference, Day 1
In the Astrophysical Journal Letters issue for May 1 (vol. 984 #1) : Bolin, B. T. Hanuš, J. Denneau, L. et al. The Discovery and Characterization of Earth-crossing Asteroid 2024 YR4 L25 adc910 It’s here: the paper summing up… Read More »2024 YR4: Spill, You
Look, a paper in Journal Of Geophysical Research: Planets (vol. 130, #4) for a change: Maurel, C. Clavé, E. Gattacecca, J. et al. Magnetization of Iron Meteorites up to the Meter in Size as Possible Analogs for Asteroid Psyche 2024JE008810… Read More »Note, Paper: Metal Speculation
Always interesting to see ideas make Nature (or a Nature-family journal): Park, R. S. Ermakov, A. I. Konopliv, A. S. et al. A small core in Vesta inferred from Dawn’s observations s41550-025-02533-7 We thought we had the story: Asteroid (4)… Read More »Note, Paper: The Nature of Vesta?
We have initial data from the Lucy mission, and its Sunday flyby of asteroid (52246) Donaldjohanson. We knew it was an elongated asteroid beforehand, and it turns out imagery confirms this (rather than, say, a close binary system, or something… Read More »Lucy Flyby Update 2
As of Monday, April 21, the Lucy probe has reported it survived and is functioning. Data from asteroid Donaldjohanson now transmitting.
The (formerly threatening) asteroid Apophis will make its (safe) pass by the Earth on April 13, 2029. (No coincidence, the UN has also declared 2029 to be the Year of Planetary Defense.) That means four years to prepare scientific observations,… Read More »Apophis T-4 Years Meeting