On Earth, geologists study rocks to help better understand the history of our planet. In contrast, planetary geologists study meteorites to help better understand the history of our solar system. While these space rocks put on quite the spectacle when they enter our atmosphere at high speeds, they also offer insights into both the formation and evolution of the solar system and the planetary bodies that encompass it. But what happens as a meteorite traverses our thick atmosphere and lands on the Earth? Does it stay in its pristine condition for scientists to study? How quickly should we contain the meteorite before the many geological processes that make up our planet contaminate the specimen? How does this contamination affect how the meteorite is studied?
Space News & Blog Articles
SpaceX, NASA delay Crew-6 astronaut launch to Feb. 27
SpaceX and NASA have pushed the launch of the Crew-6 astronaut mission by a day to Feb. 27, allowing more time to investigate several minor issues.
Multinational crew arrives at Kennedy Space Center for launch preparations
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION
Colliding black holes 'ring' across space-time with gravitational wave ripples
A new model suggests how gravitational waves created by the collision between black holes spread and interact within the fabric of space-time.
Russia blames Progress leak on ‘external influences’ as new Soyuz preps for launch
Russia’s Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft, perched atop a Soyuz rocket, rolled to its launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome Tuesday, Feb. 21. Credit: Roscosmos
Russia’s space agency said Tuesday that preliminary data suggest a coolant leak on a Progress cargo freighter docked at the International Space Station earlier this month was caused by “external influences” — possibly something that occurred during its launch last year, according to a senior NASA space station manager.
Green comet seen from space by Artemis 1 moon mission cubesat (video)
A Japanese cubesat launched aboard NASA's Artemis 1 moon mission took a video of Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) earlier this month, about two weeks after the ice ball's closest approach to Earth.
“The Sparkler” Might be Our Milky Way’s Long-Lost Twin
Astronomers are using compact groups of stars to probe the history of a galaxy in the adolescent universe dubbed "The Sparkler."
'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania' drops the Marvel Universe down a subatomic rabbit hole
A review of director Peyton Reed's "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania."
A 500-Meter-Long Asteroid Flew Past Earth, and Astronomers Were Watching
An asteroid the size of the Empire State Building flew past Earth in early February, coming within 1.8 million km (1.1 million miles) of our planet. Not only is it approximately the same size as the building, but astronomers found the asteroid – named 2011 AG5 — has an unusual shape, with about the same dimensions as the famous landmark in New York City.
SpaceX Crew-6 astronauts arrive at NASA spaceport for Feb. 26 launch
The crewmembers of SpaceX's next astronaut mission to the International Space Station have arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for their upcoming Feb. 26 launch.
SpaceX Dragon capsule arrives at launch site for Feb. 26 astronaut liftoff (photos)
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft Endeavour has made it to the Florida launch site ahead of a planned Feb. 26 liftoff on the Crew-6 mission for NASA.
UAE astronaut on SpaceX Crew-6 mission will spend Ramadan in space
Fasting during the Islamic holy month is not required for travelers, but Sultan Al-Neyadi said he may try to do so after launching aboard a SpaceX spacecraft on Feb. 26.
Signs of Mars life may be too elusive for rovers to detect
The robots currently exploring Mars may not be capable of detecting potential traces of life on the Red Planet, a new study finds.
Russia to launch replacement Soyuz to space station on Thursday (Feb. 23)
Russia has moved the launch of a replacement Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station to Feb. 23 , after previously delaying the liftoff to March.
Watch the moon meet Venus and Jupiter in the sky on Wednesday with free livestream
The new moon meets Venus and Jupiter in the sky on Wednesday (Feb. 22) early in the morning and you can watch it live via the Virtual Telescope Project.
Oddly shaped asteroid once considered an impact risk for Earth races past the planet
An asteroid larger than the Empire State Building that was once considered an impact risk of Earth raced past the planet in February and astronomers managed to take a proper look at it.
Video: Solar Orbiter catches Mercury crossing sun's disk
Watch Mercury cross in front of the sun's disk in this video captured by the European Solar Orbiter spacecraft.
All of Jupiter's Large Moons Have Auroras
Jupiter is well known for its spectacular aurorae, thanks in no small part to the Juno orbiter and recent images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Like Earth, these dazzling displays result from charged solar particles interacting with Jupiter’s magnetic field and atmosphere. Over the years, astronomers have also detected faint aurorae in the atmospheres of Jupiter’s largest moons (aka. the “Galilean Moons“). These are also the result of interaction, in this case, between Jupiter’s magnetic field and particles emanating from the moons’ atmospheres.
Some Elements Arrived on Earth by Surfing Supernova Shock Waves
When stars die, they spread the elements they’ve created in their cores out to space. But, other objects and processes in space also create elements. Eventually, that “star stuff” scatters across the galaxy in giant debris clouds. Later on—sometimes millions of years later—it settles onto planets. What’s the missing link between element creation and deposition on some distant world?
Italian Amateur Astronomer Discovers Dwarf Galaxies
Three dwarf galaxies around the Sculptor Galaxy have come to light thanks to the work of an amateur astronomer.
The Hubble Space Telescope spots three galaxies about to collide
The Hubble Space Telescope has imaged three galaxies on a collision course. The galaxies are located in the constellation Boötes and will eventually collide and merge to birth a single massive galaxy.
