Hot on the heels of the last apparent comet discovery: http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iau/cbet/005600/CBET005648.txt We have multiple reports of an object with a coma and/or tail- therefore indicating activity, therefore indicating a comet. Except this “comet” orbits, to the precision of our measurements… Read More »*NEW* : Main-Belt Comet P/2025 W4 (Pan-STARRS)
Just discovered November (while we were feasting): a new Main-Belt comet. A typical comet comes out of the outer Solar System, then warms and activates when it reaches the inner Solar System. Not Main-Belters. These “comets” reside in the asteroid… Read More »*NEW* : Main-Belt Comet 2025 W3 (Kresken)
Starting roughly, oh… now, but peaking the night of Dec. 13-14 is the Geminid meteor shower. You know, the Geminids- fragments of, not a comet, but asteroid (3200) Phaethon? This asteroidal shower has an interesting origin story- or would that… Read More »Geminid Meteor Shower This Month
New in Space Science Reviews (2025, vol. 221): Tortora, P. Granmiga, E. Lasagni Manghi, R et al. The Radio Science Experiment on Hera, Juventus and Milani Art 124 s11214-025-01253-8 The Hera mission contains the CubeSats Juventus and Milani. The two… Read More »Space Science Reviews: Radio Three Europe
In the journal Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 15 Nov (vol. 409): Jordan, F. Timms, N. E. Nakamura, T. et al. Asteroid Itokawa … but when and how did it form exactly? Pg. 178 .2025.09.020 Our first asteroid sample- not a meteorite, with… Read More »Note, Paper: Itokawa Hit(?), Argon
Now out from JGR:Plan (Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets) vol. 52, #21: Elder, C.M. Boulders on Bennu: Low Apparent Thermal Inertia Caused by Thermal FatigueFractures art. e2025GL116256 2025GL116256 We have samples returned from Bennu, but… grain sizes are mostly pebbles… Read More »Note, Paper: Geophysical NEO Fissure Vals
In November 1’s issue (vol. 993 #1) of Astrophysical Journal Letters: Farnocchia, D. Vokrouhlicky, D. Santana-Ros, T. et al. Radiation Forces and Trajectory of Hayabusa2# Target 1998 KY26 L9 ae10b8Salazar Manzano, L. E. Lin, H-W. Taylor, A. G. et al.… Read More »Note, Paper: Non-Pusher
Just in from JGR:Planets (Journal of Geophysical Research), vol. 130, #10: Onodera, K. Ino, Y. Tanaka, Satoshi et al. Elastic Properties of Returned Samples From Asteroid (162173) Ryugu Art. e2025JE008944 2025JE008944 Short version: the authors measured the stiffness of Ryugu grains, and… Read More »Note, Paper: Small-Bod Modulus Products
In lesser news: NewSpace startup Fleet Space announced that their payload- a science instrument- will join the ApophisExL mission to the eponymous asteroid in 2029. www.fleetspace.com/newsroom/fleet-space-targets-apophis-for-off-world-exploration-missionSeptember 23, 2025Fleet Space Targets Apophis For Off-World Exploration Mission The ApophisExL mission is a… Read More »Got It On Apophis Mission (Fleet Space)
The issue of New Astronomy for December (vol. 121) includes: Borodin, V. I. Bubenchikov, M. A. Bubenchikov, A. M. et al. Complex rotations of the asteroid 45 Eugenia Art. 102458 .2025.102458 Binaries: once again, handy to have. The parent asteroid… Read More »Note, Paper: Triple System Blip