The source of water on Earth, the Moon and planets in our solar system is hotly debated. Some in the planetary science community argued that it came from asteroids and comets. Now they have proof.
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Articles on Asteroids
Displaying 61 - 80 of 142 articles
Bruce Willis saved the Earth with a nuclear weapon in the 1998 film Armageddon, but the law would need to change for him to do it now.
Meteorites might look like boring bits of rock – but each one has a fascinating story.
We’re finding more near-Earth objects all the time, and the challenge is to identify those that could potentially hit us. So how come we missed one that caused a huge blast in December?
More evidence that the asteroid hit on Earth that marked the end of the dinosaurs could have triggered a deadly increase in volcanic activity.
Moonlight will spoil some of the big meteor showers this year, but still plenty of others to see. So here’s your guide on when and where to look to catch nature’s fireworks.
Expect a spectacular display of 120 or more meteors per hour – some of them brightly coloured.
Osiris-REx will spend the next year looking for a good place to land on asteroid Bennu before it collects grains and brings them home.
Meteorite impacts have fundamentally shaped the history of our planet.
Senegal has made great strides in astronomy and planetary sciences in recent years.
Space mining has the potential to provide a greater supply of resources either for being exploited locally for construction or being sent back to earth.
Each meteorite is a piece of the puzzle to understanding our solar system.
We have long wondered why Earth has stayed habitable enough for life to evolve over billions of years.
A world expert weighs in on the continuing debate about ‘Oumuamua.
An asteroid on a collision course with Earth is inevitable. Astronomer Michael Lund explains how a new telescope under construction in Chile will become a vital tool for detecting objects that could devastate our planet.
Nearly 50 years since the first man walked on the moon, our morals are still stranded on Earth.
Trunp’s new policy could lead to the militarisation of outer space and the beginning of a new space arms race.
The first step to mining an asteroid is finding a suitable candidate. Scientists estimate there should be some ten nearby targets.
Large asteroids have hit Australia over many millions of years and the evidence is in the landscape, if you know where to look.
Small asteroids can be hard to spot. But what kind of threat do they pose to the Earth?
Top contributors
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Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences, The Open University
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Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland
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Senior Curator (Astronomy), Museums Victoria, and Honorary Fellow, The University of Melbourne
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Web and database guy, Macquarie University
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Earth and paleo-climate scientist, Australian National University
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John Curtin Distinguished Professor (Radio Astronomy), Curtin University
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Professor, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland
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Director, Space Science and Technology Centre, Curtin University
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Alan Duffy is a Friend of The Conversation.
Director of the Space Technology and Industry Institute, Swinburne University of Technology
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Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology, University of Bristol
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Associate Professor, Curtin University
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Associate Professor in Astronomy, Monash University
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Program Manager / Adjunct Research Fellow, Swinburne University of Technology
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Research Associate, The Open University
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Professor of Planetary Geosciences, The Open University
