Astronomers have discovered that Earth’s large, ever-looming moon is about to get company. Beginning on Sunday, the planet will capture an asteroid sailing nearby, drawing it in for one loop around Earth before making its exit on Nov. 25. When it leaves, it will continue its trajectory around the sun. The two-month visit puts this…

Asteroid in space (Representative Image: Canva) NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is tracking five asteroids set to safely pass Earth in late September 2024. The asteroids—identified as 2020 GE, 2024 RO11, 2024 RK7, 2024 RW25, and 2024 RP15—pose no threat to the planet. Their close proximity offers valuable opportunities for scientific observation and study. Asteroid…

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What it is: Arp 107, a pair of interacting galaxies Where it is: 465 million light-years away, in the constellation Leo Minor When it was shared: Sept. 18, 2024 Why it’s so special: A new James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) image has revealed the striking celestial sight of a large spiral galaxy — much like…

What it is: Arp 107, a pair of interacting galaxies Where it is: 465 million light-years away, in the constellation Leo Minor When it was shared: Sept. 18, 2024 Why it’s so special: A new James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) image has revealed the striking celestial sight of a large spiral galaxy — much like…

It’s been a long wait, but it could pay off any day now. Earlier this year, NASA announced an upcoming nova outburst that’s expected to pop off overhead around 3,000 light-years from Earth. Recommended Videos Because the nova outburst only happens once every roughly 80 years, it could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many. But…

Earth’s moon will have some company for a couple months this fall. Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images Earth will be hosting a new guest this fall. No, it’s not an alien. It’s an asteroid. The space rock, which has been named “2024 PT5,” has been traveling along its normal path around the sun, but…

During an equinox, places around the globe experience nearly equal amounts of daytime and nighttime. The second occurrence this year happens on Sunday. This Sunday, the autumnal equinox is upon us, and with it, a shift to shorter days, longer nights and the astronomical start of fall in the Northern Hemisphere. Equinoxes occur when Earth…

MADISON – Elizabeth ‘Beth’ Leedham Bero is the 2024 recipient of Las Cumbres Amateur Outreach Award for her outstanding educational outreach as an amateur astronomer. The Astronomical Society of the Pacific or ASP, one of the oldest, innovative organizations dedicated to understanding astronomy, presents the Las Cumbres and other awards for excellence in astronomy education.…

Proposals from Christopher Reynolds for an X-ray mission and Alberto Bolatto and Jason Glenn for a far-infrared mission are closer to being realized. On October 3, 2024, NASA announced that two space probes proposed by University of Maryland astronomers have advanced to the next round of consideration for a $1 billion mission slated to launch…