Asteroids

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Earth's oldest asteroid strike may have ended 'Snowball Earth'

Researchers have discovered the Earth's oldest asteroid impact crater, a 2.2 billion-year-old strike found in Western Australia. The space rock may have also ended a massive ice age that radically altered the planet's climate, known as "Snowball Earth."

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Dinosaur extinction was 'all about the asteroid,' casting doubt about volcano's impact, new study says

Several studies have suggested a volcano eruption played a greater role in the extinction of the dinosaurs than the asteroid that crashed into modern-day Mexico. A new study is hoping to end the debate, suggesting "it was all about the asteroid."

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Mile-long asteroid could be dangerous to life on Earth in millions of years if it breaks up: scientists

A massive mile-long double asteroid linked to a one-inch meteor that streaked a fireball over Japan three years ago could threaten humanity in millions of years if it eventually breaks up, scientists wrote in a report published Monday.

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Comets may have delivered 'essential element' for life on Earth, researchers say

A new study suggests that comets had a huge hand in helping life form on Earth, bringing integral elements such as phosphorus, "an essential element for life," to the planet.

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Newly discovered asteroid inside Venus' orbit is second closest object to the sun

Astronomers have discovered an asteroid inside Venus' orbit that not only circles the sun, but is also the second closest object to the star in the solar system, surpassing Venus itself.

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Scientists want to move the Sun and our Solar System to save Earth from killer asteroids

A bonkers plot to move our Solar System using a giant device powered by the Sun has been cooked up by a top scientist.

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Massive 2,034-foot asteroid will zoom past Earth just after Christmas

A gigantic asteroid will zip past Earth just after Christmas, NASA reports.

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Dinosaurs may have been poisoned before they became extinct, study reveals

Prior to their asteroid-linked extinction, dinosaurs were already struggling to survive due to a sharp increase in mercury levels caused by a massive volcano eruption, according to a new study.

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'Lost' iron meteorites may lurk beneath Antarctic ice. Scientists are on a quest to find them.

Scientists are scouring the remote Antarctic ice cap for rare meteorites chock-full of iron and holding secrets to the history of our solar system going back some 4.5 billion years. 

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NASA picks site on asteroid Bennu where it will grab space rock sample

‘X’ marks the spot as NASA prepares for a historic asteroid mission.

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Asteroid Bennu is shooting out rocks – and NASA isn't sure why

Asteroid Bennu, which could provide answers to questions about the origins of our solar system, is mysteriously launching particles into space and NASA isn't sure why.

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Pyramid-shaped 427-foot asteroid set to whiz past Earth

A 427-foot asteroid shaped like a pyramid is set to whiz past Earth on Sunday.

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Apocalyptic asteroid strike that could wipe out humanity is ‘only a matter of time’, top scientist warns

A catastrophic asteroid impact big enough to wipe out humanity is only a matter of time, according to one top scientist.

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Asteroid 'attack': Scientists eye space rock collision

The European Space Agency has received approval to aid NASA in its asteroid deflection plan, the upcoming Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission. 

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Interstellar comet Borisov spotted in new image, has 'ghostly' appearance

A new photo of the second interstellar object ever discovered, Comet 2I/Borisov, shows off the mysterious comet and its impressive tail.

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Ice fossils discovered in 4.6B year-old asteroid that could give new insight into early solar system

Researchers have found ice fossils from an ancient asteroid that crashed into Earth nearly 30 years ago that could have enormous implications into what the early Solar System was like.

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NASA finds 'extraterrestrial sugar' on meteorites, which may have 'led to the origin of life'

It's common for asteroids in the Solar System to carry water, one of the essential building blocks for life. But now, NASA researchers have found sugar molecules on two different meteorites, adding credence to the idea that asteroids play a crucial role in supporting life.

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Meteor that lit up St. Louis sky was 220-pound fireball that broke off asteroid belt: NASA

A bright blue flash that streaked through the sky over St. Louis, Mo., Monday evening was an approximately 220-pound chunk of rock that broke off an asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter before it entered Earth’s atmosphere, Bill Cooke, of the NASA Meteoroid Environments Office in Alabama, said Tuesday, according to a report. 

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Meteor lights up the sky over the Gateway Arch in St. Louis

A camera has captured the incredible moment when a meteor lit up the sky over the iconic Gateway Arch in St. Louis.

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Massive 2,000-foot asteroid to whiz past Earth later this month

An asteroid slightly smaller than the largest structure in the U.S. is slated to harmlessly zoom past Earth later this month.

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Second interstellar visitor may be carrying water from beyond our solar system, shocking study suggests

A shocking new study suggests that the second interstellar object ever discovered, Comet 2I/Borisov, could be carrying water on it from beyond the Solar System.

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Asteroid Hygiea could become the tiniest dwarf planet

As the debate rages on whether Pluto, currently a dwarf planet, should be given back its planet status, it may soon be joined by an asteroid that could wind up being the smallest dwarf planet in the solar system.

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Asteroid impact 13K years ago wiped out woolly mammoths, sabre-tooth cats in mini ice age: study

A shocking new study claims the "smoking gun" behind the extinction of a number of animals and plants has been found: a massive asteroid that hit the Earth nearly 13,000 years ago.

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Asteroid that wiped out dinosaurs turned oceans into acid, shocking study says

A newly released study shows that the asteroid that took out the dinosaurs also acidified the planet's oceans.

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NASA's Lucy mission to study the Trojan asteroids clears critical milestone

NASA's Lucy mission, which is set to be the first space mission to study the Trojan asteroids, successfully completed its critical design review.

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Fireball that flew over Japan in 2017 was tiny piece of giant asteroid that might one day threaten Earth

In the early morning of April 28, 2017, a small fireball crept across the sky over Kyoto, Japan. And now, thanks to data collected by the SonotaCo meteor survey, researchers have determined that the fiery space rock was a shard of a much larger asteroid that might (far down the road) threaten Earth. 

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An asteroid-smashing star ground a giant rock to bits and covered itself in the remains

Somewhere in the galaxy, a white dwarf star suddenly started shining brightly. And now we understand the violent cataclysm that caused it: the star's gravitational field tore the asteroid to bits, scattering its metallic bits in a shiny halo around the star.

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NASA spots bright 'blue' meteor, Jupiter in stunning images shot from airplane

NASA has posted a stunning image of a blue "fireball meteor" and a rare look at Jupiter with the naked eye, thanks to the work of a quick-thinking photographer.

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Second interstellar visitor has a familiar look as Oumuamua becomes more mysterious

Comet 2I/Borisov, the second-ever discovered interstellar object, has a familiar look to it, similar to the other comets that are common throughout our solar system, according to a new study. This discovery makes the first interstellar object, Oumuamua, all the more mysterious.

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Huge 111-foot asteroid to skim past Earth at 22,000 mph, space rock’s ‘closest encounter for 115 years’

A huge asteroid is about to skim past Earth at its closest approach in 115 years.

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Asteroid may collide with Earth, ESA warns: 'Non-zero... probability'

Asteroids known as near-Earth objects are among the most dangerous space items, with space agencies around the world keeping a close eye on them. The European Space Agency is paying particular attention to asteroid 2019 SU3, which may collide with Earth as soon as 70 years from now.