Asteroid Cruises Past Earth ... With a Partner!
The asteroid 2008 BT18 is revealed to be a pair in this July 7 radar image. The larger object at top is thought to be spheroidal in shape. The shape of the smaller object (bright dot near bottom) is not known.
Potentially Dangerous Asteroid Spotted Passing Earth
The near-Earth asteroid 2005 YU55 — on the list of potentially dangerous asteroids — was observed with the Arecibo Telescope's planetary radar on April 19, 2010, when it was about 1.5 million miles from Earth.
Water Ice Discovered on Asteroid for First Time
An illustration of the asteroid 24 Themis along with two small fragments that orbit with it. One of the small fragments is inert (as most asteroids are) and the other has a comet-like tail, produced by the sublimation of water ice from its surface. Scientists announced the first discovery of water ice on 24 Themis. Full Story.
NASA Sky-Mapping Spacecraft Spots First New Asteroid
The red dot at the center of this image is the first near-Earth asteroid discovered by NASA's Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE. The asteroid appears redder than the rest of the background stars because it is cooler and emits most of its light at longer infrared wavelengths. In visible light, this space rock is very faint and difficult to see.
Weird Object Zooming by Earth Wednesday is Likely an Asteroid
This image of the small asteroid 2010 AL30 was taken in Jan. 11, 2010, when the space rock was discovered, by astronomers at the Skylive-Grove Creek Observatory in Australia. It was released by the Remanzacco Observatory.
Rubbly Space Rocks? Asteroid Itokawa
Asteroids, such as Itokawa, pictured here, are thought to be more like piles of rubble loosely clung together, than solid chunks of rock.
Near-Earth Asteroid Found to be Triplets
Radar imaging at NASA's Goldstone Solar System Radar on June 12 and 14, 2009, revealed that near-Earth asteroid 1994 CC is a triple system.
Despite Glitch, European Spacecraft's Asteroid Flyby a Success
The 5-km wide Asteroid Steins seen from a distance of 800 km, taken from two different perspectives. At the top of the asteroid (as shown in this image), a large crater, approximately 1.5-km in size, can be seen. Scientists were amazed that the asteroid survived the impact that was responsible for the crater.
Eros: In Real and Imagined
A NASA image of asteroid Eros (left) and Robert Gaskell's shape model of the asteroid (right).
Wrong-Way, Daredevil Asteroid Plays 'Chicken' with Jupiter
Asteroid 2015 BZ509, seen here in an image from the Large Binocular Telescope Observatory (LBTO), orbits the sun backwards and shares an orbital space with Jupiter. [Read the full story]
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