Normally, I don’t expect much from Astronomy Journal. February (vol. 171 #2) was a surprise: Fan, X. Zhang, X. Xu, X. et al. Photometric Observations and Analysis of Active Asteroid (62412) 2000 SY178 Art 68 ae2678Cordova Quijano, S. A. Ye,… Read More »Note, Paper: Crack and Track 4-Pack
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
The December 2025 Astronomy & Astrophysics (vol. 704) still says “in progress”, but January is already being trickled out. So I’m going to call it for December, and what a month: Peña-Asensio, E. Seligman, D. Z. The interstellar flux gap:… Read More »Note, Paper: Year-End Bender (Pending?)
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)
The Icarus issue for Dec (vol. 442) brings us: Tusberti, F. Pajola, M. Penasa, L. et al. Lithologies of Dimorphos revealed by boulder morphological classes Art. 116744 .2025.116744Rubino, S. Zambon, F. Brunetto, R. et al. Space weathering on Vesta: Ion bombardment… Read More »Note, Paper: Bombardment Assortment
Next week: the 6th Binaries in the Solar System (Binaries VI), in Nice, FR 15 to 17 September 2025 https://bam-vi.sciencesconf.org/ Some highlights (I admit I’m biased here):https://bam-vi.sciencesconf.org/data/pages/Program_BAM_1.pdf Monday – 15 SeptemberRachel Cueva Modeling the Dynamical Survivability of Binary Asteroids in… Read More »Binaries In The Solar System Meeting, 2025
The meeting for Thursday, Sep. 11 (see also Mon, Tue, Wed): https://www.epsc-dps2025.eu/ https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC-DPS2025/meetingprogramme MITM8Imagery, photometry, and spectroscopy of small bodies and planetary surfaces The potential of in-situ THz-spectroscopy to resolve the subsurface structure of Comets – Linus Stoeckli et al.… Read More »2025 Joint EPSC-DPS Meeting, IV
The annual EPSC-DPS meeting (held together this year) for Wednesday, Sep. 10 (see also Mon and Tue): https://www.epsc-dps2025.eu/ https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC-DPS2025/meetingprogramme SB15Computational and experimental astrophysics of small bodies and planets Exchange of ejected material between the terrestrial planets and the Moon – Sergei… Read More »2025 Joint EPSC-DPS Meeting, III