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
Not one but two articles in the BBC today: 4 April 2025 Nelson, S. Asteroid 2024 YR4: Where do near-Earth asteroids come from – and what can we learn form them? (sic) www.bbc.com/future/article/20250312-the-astronomers-watching-the-skies-for-asteroids Molloy, M. Chance of asteroid hitting Moon… Read More »BBC: (small-)Body Bi-Coverage
Yes, I know I just posted on new entries from RNAA (Research Notes of the AAS). The newest Notes include a report of the James Webb Space Telescope getting time to spot asteroid 2024 YR4, which was initially tracked to… Read More »Note Note: JWST Studies 2024 YR4
Just saw this one, sorry I’m a bit slow on the ‘regurgitate’ button: The asteroid Bennu is even weirder than we thoughthttps://www.newscientist.com/article/2471749-the-asteroid-bennu-is-even-weirder-than-we-thought/