A bit light for this blog, but… ESA has posted an explainer video for the RAMSES mission: www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2025/10/Ramses_ESA_s_mission_to_rendezvous_with_asteroid_ApophisRamses: ESA’s mission to rendezvous with asteroid Apophis 13/10/2025 This week marks three and a half years until the Apophis flyby of Earth;… Read More »See RAMSES Teaser
The “issues” of Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS) for October are up: volume 542, #4 – volume 543, #1Li, Z. Qiao, D. Li, X. Spatial temporary capture in the Sun–planet three-body system Pgs 625 staf1430 volume 543,… Read More »Note, Paper: Planetary Particles Aplenty
The issue of Earth and Planetary Science Letters for November (vol 669) contains: Amano, K. Viennet, J-C. Beck, P. et al. Updating the Urey-Craig diagram: The iron redox states of the building blocks of the outer solar system Art 119587… Read More »Note, Paper: CC Fe3 Read
Briefly: the PUNCH mission to monitor the Sun states that they are still tracking interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, even though the small body has passed “behind” the Sun (as seen from Earth). In other words, ‘solar conjunction’: bsky.app/profile/kwalsh4a.bsky.social/post/3m2rnxlgigs2v “While 3I Atlas… Read More »PUNCH Sun Conjunction Mention
In the Acta Astronautica issue for Nov (vol. 236): Acciarini, G. Izzo, D. Biscani, F. EclipseNETs: Learning irregular small celestial body silhouettes p. 514 .2025.06.002Chen, Z. Shen, S. Cui, H. et al. Robust adaptive guidance for autonomous asteroid landing via… Read More »Note, Paper: Potato Exploration Papers
USA Today is hardly cutting-edge as journalism goes, but publicity is publicity: www.usatoday.com/story/studiog/life/2025/10/07/asteroid-mining-brings-private-companies-into-the-space-race/85710633007/Hope Hodge Seck Oct 7 Asteroid Mining, a Gold Rush in Space Note that the URL ‘title’ is horrendous. Private companies defy traditional notions of a “Space Race”.… Read More »“Asteroid Mining” Lines
Not news, but ESA’s Hera mission to Didymos/Dimorphos after the DART impact has launched and is on track. Based on good performances from all propulsion systems, mission managers expect to encounter the target asteroids earlier than first planned. Arrival is… Read More »Hera Update, Oct 2025
Going on right now: the EU-ESA Workshop on Astrometric and Radar Observations of NEOshttps://indico.esa.int/event/590/Oct 6–8, Frascati, Italy: European Space Research Institute (ESRIN) Asteroids are distinguished from stars because they move; near-Earth asteroids are distinguished from Main Belters because they move… Read More »EU-ESA Astrometry/Radar Workshop
The characterization continues. With the trajectory well-determined over a long arc, we check and recheck spectral bands and lines (therefore, compositions): Astrophysics > Earth and Planetary Astrophysics arxiv.org/abs/2510.02817[Submitted on 7 Oct 2025]Coulson, I. M. Kuan, Y-J. Charnley, S. B. JCMT… Read More »3I Cyanide Multi-Time Described
In the latest Science Advances issue (1 Oct 2025, vol. 11, #40): Grewal, D. S. Zhang, Z. Manilal, V. Protracted core formation and impact disruptions shaped the earliest outer Solar System planetesimals adw1668 Most asteroids never melted; they then preserve the materials… Read More »Note, Paper: Cold Core Lore