Asteroid

It's the largest piece of Mars ever found on Earth - a 25 gm meteorite that fetched more than $5 million at a New York auction last month, setting a world record. But in the West African nation of Niger, where the rusty-red rock was unearthed in the Sahara Desert, officials have launched an investigation into what they call possible illicit international trafficking, claiming it may have been smuggled out of the country. Sotheby's said the rock, named NWA 16788, was blown off the surface of Mars by a massive asteroid strike and travelled 140 million miles (225 million km) to Earth. It was discovered in the Sahara in northwestern Niger by a meteorite hunter in November 2023, according to the auction house. His identity was not disclosed. Nor was the identity of the buyer last month. Meteorite hunting is growing in arid Saharan countries like Niger. Though meteorites can fall anywhere on Earth, the Sahara has become a prime spot for their discovery in part due to the favourable clima

That may sound familiar: A decade ago, news stories were aflutter about the wealth promised by asteroid mining companies. But things didn't quite work out

Candidates with master's in astrophysics, aerospace science, or earth and space exploration technology are eligible-on one condition: a firm allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party and its ideology

Two asteroids pass Earth by close distance and that is why they are termed 'near misses'. Scientists decline any potential risk to the planet

The US space agency says the 580-feet building-sized asteroid 363305 (2002 NV16) will pose no risk to Earth, although it is classified as "potentially hazardous"

SpaceX to launch Europe's Hera asteroid probe that aims to understand the post-impact evaluation in Dimorphos

Asteroid 2024 PT5 will follow a horseshoe-shaped path for a period of 53 days before returning to a sun-centred path. The event will take place from September 29 and will last till November 25

Initially discovered in 2004, Apophis surpasses the size of India's largest aircraft carrier, the INS Vikramaditya, and the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the world's largest cricket stadium

Asteroid 2024 OR1 is part of the Apollo asteroids, which have been making their closest approach to Earth recently

Nasa confirmed that Apophis will pass the earth with just 38,012 KM or 23,619 miles. Here's all you need to know

So far, Nasa has successfully removed and collected 70.3 grams of rocks and dust from the sampler hardware on asteroid Bennu

Asteroid 2023 TT8 is approaching Earth at 28,525 km/h. It will safely pass at a distance of 2.2 million kilometres. Watch the video to learn more about the asteroid. #asteroid #2023tt8 #earth #nasa

NASA's Psyche spacecraft rocketed away Friday on a six-year journey to a rare metal-covered asteroid. Most asteroids tend to be rocky or icy, and this is the first exploration of a metal world. Scientists believe it may be the battered remains of an early planet's core, and could shed light on the inaccessible centres of Earth and other rocky planets. SpaceX launched the spacecraft into a midmorning sky from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Named for the asteroid it's chasing, Psyche should reach the huge, potato-shaped object in 2029. After decades of visiting faraway worlds of rock, ice and gas, NASA is psyched to pursue one coated in metal. Of the nine or so metal-rich asteroids discovered so far, Psyche is the biggest, orbiting the sun in the outer portion of the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter alongside millions of other space rocks. It was discovered in 1852 and named after Greek mythology's captivating goddess of the soul. It's long been humans' dream to go to the

Asteroid 2016 LK49 will come within a distance of 364,150 kilometers of Earth traveling at a speed of 19.4 kilometers per second

Asteroid 2023 BU whizzed past without incident and back out into space

The asteroid was initially spotted by amateur astronomer Gennadiy Borisov on Saturday and reported to the Minor Planet Center (MPC)

DART can reduce risks from meteors

What is driving consolidation at the Tata group? What explains the bumper festival sales? Where should you invest as global headwinds blow? Why did NASA ram DART into an asteroid? Answers here

American space agency NASA recently conducted a planned mission to hit a cruising asteroid in space, as a part of its first planetary defense technology demonstration. Let's find out more about it

A NASA spacecraft rammed an asteroid at blistering speed Monday in an unprecedented dress rehearsal for the day a killer rock menaces Earth. The galactic grand slam occurred at a harmless asteroid 9.6 million kilometers away, with the spacecraft named Dart plowing into the small space rock at 22,500 kph. Scientists expected the impact to carve out a crater, hurl streams of rocks and dirt into space and, most importantly, alter the asteroid's orbit. Telescopes around the world and in space aimed at the same point in the sky to capture the spectacle. Though the impact was immediately obvious Dart's radio signal abruptly ceased it will be days or even weeks to determine how much the asteroid's path was changed. The USD 325 million mission was the first attempt to shift the position of an asteroid or any other natural object in space. "No, this is not a movie plot," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson tweeted earlier in the day. "We've all seen it on movies like Armageddon,' but the ...