Wrapping up the “2025” (vol. 6) papers of Planetary Science Journal: Wright, E. L. Masiero, J. Mainzer, A. NEOWISE Data and Thermophysical Modeling of 98943 Torifune (2001 CC21) A 305 ae21dfCombi, M. R. Mäkinen, T. Bertaux, J-L. et al. Activity… Read More »Note, Paper: Space Data Paper Fate
The Vera Rubin Observatory goes live tonight (in a sense). Shakedown operations with the Vera Rubin ‘scope have been going on for months now, finding the last issues and optimizing the procedures for the Legacy Survey of Space and Time.… Read More »Vera Rubin Update (Feb 2026)
Just up now from Space Science Reviews (vol. 222): Hegarty, K.P. Kubota, S. Cully, M. et al. The IMAP Observatory Overview Art 16 s11214-026-01272-z No, this isn’t redundant to a previous post. That article was about the IMAP program (including the science… Read More »Space Science Reviews IMAP (the probe)
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?
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
Catching up with Advances In Space Research for 1 Jan 2026 (vol. 77 #1): Tan, X. Li, C. Wang, J. et al. Ground validation of dust multi-properties analyzer onboard Tianwen-2 Pg 1206 .2025.10.086Lin, C-M. Yang, I-C. The characteristics of the… Read More »Note, Paper: Grain Stain Explainers
Again, more goodies in Space Science Reviews for the new year (volume 222): Zhang, R. Zhang, H. Liu, J. et al. Tianwen-2 Mission of China’s Planetary Exploration Program 11 s11214-026-01268-9 The Tianwen-2 mission, launched last year, will rendezvous with asteroid… Read More »Space Science Reviews Tianwen-2
Nothing from Space Science Reviews for a while, then Boom (vol. 222): Palomba, E. Dirri, F. Gisellu, C. et al. VISTA: Dust and Volatile Sensor for the ESA Hera Mission 10 s11214-026-01266-x The Hera mission to asteroid Didymos and its… Read More »Space Science Reviews Milani-VISTA