Space enthusiasts are in for a major cosmic event on Friday as NASA said that two aeroplane-sized asteroids — 2024 XW15 and 2024 XC16 — are all set to fly past Earth. Although the distances of the two asteroids were called “near misses,” scientists at the US Space Agency said there was no risk to…
Comets may have been responsible for the presence of water on Earth, scientists have claimed, according to a new research published this week in Science Advances. The researchers focused on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and discovered that the molecular structure of water found on the celestial body closely resembled that of Earth’s oceans. While water existed in…
A speedy descent of a small asteroid lit up the sky in Russia’s remote far eastern region of Yakutia early on Wednesday, as it burned out after entering the Earth’s atmosphere. It was the first of two expected asteroid fly-bys this week and provided a natural light show for residents of northern Siberia. The flying…
New Delhi, India: NASA is closely monitoring a massive asteroid named 447755 (2007 JX2), which is set to pass by Earth on Tuesday. Scientists have assured that while the asteroid is large and moving at high speed, it poses no threat to our planet. – Size: The asteroid is approximately 1,300 feet in diameter, comparable…
A study published in Meteoritics & Planetary Science has reported the discovery of terrestrial micro-organisms in a sample returned from asteroid Ryugu by Japan’s Hayabusa2 mission. According to researchers, these microbes, identified as Earth-based in origin, had colonised the sample after its return to Earth in December 2020. The findings have highlighted concerns regarding the…
The moons of Mars, Phobos and Deimos, could have formed from the remnants of an asteroid that was destroyed by the planet’s gravitational forces. Researchers from NASA and Durham University utilised advanced computer simulations to explore how such an event might have unfolded. These findings present a compelling new explanation for the origin of Mars’…
