Thanks to spectacular high-resolution images from Hayabusa2, scientists can now better estimate how and when the asteroid Ryugu formed, how its orbit has changed over time, and what its surface looks like.
asteroids
Posted inNews
Dust from Colliding Asteroids Masqueraded as a Planet
New analysis of Hubble Space Telescope images suggests that Fomalhaut b, once believed to be an extrasolar planet, is, in fact, a cloud of dust that likely formed from the collision of enormous asteroids.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
The Stuff That Psyche Is Made Of
The metallic asteroid Psyche appears to contain more rock than previously thought, shedding new light on possible scenarios for its formation in the early solar system.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Ryugu: A Not So Magnetic Asteroid
When the lander MASCOT, carried by Hayabusa2, touched down on asteroid Ryugu, it did not detect a magnetic field, even though meteorites that are spectroscopically similar to Ryugu have trace of one.
Posted inNews
Tiny Fireballs May One Day Reveal Unseen Asteroids
The tiny fireball that flew over Japan in 2017 came from an asteroid that could threaten Earth in 10 million years or so. Scientists are trying to use these little meteors to hunt larger objects.
Posted inNews
Location, Location, Location: The How-to’s of Asteroid Sampling
Finding the right spot to grab a sample of Bennu was more of a challenge than the OSIRIS-REx team had originally planned.
Posted inNews
Deadly Collision Blows an Asteroid Apart
Active asteroids lurk in the asteroid belt, unseen until they’re blown to smithereens.
Posted inNews
Nearby Asteroid Is Mysteriously Devoid of Dust, Lander Reveals
Close-up images of Ryugu, a near-Earth asteroid and the target of the Hayabusa2 sample return mission, reveal a rocky, dustless world that may have formed from a giant collision.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
On the Prospect of Ancient Metallic Volcanism on Asteroids
There is a possibility of ancient volcanism on metallic asteroids, a new type of volcanism that is not yet observed, though the Psyche mission to the asteroid Psyche may change that soon.
Posted inGeoFIZZ
Metal Asteroid Inspires Works of Art
Student artists explore a mysterious metallic world through acrylic, ceramic, LEDs, and even string.