Lifeboat Foundation

30 years ago, on 16 July 1994, astronomers watched in awe as the first of many pieces of the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet slammed into Jupiter with incredible force. The event sparked intense interest in the field of planetary defence as people asked: “Could we do anything to prevent this happening to Earth?”

Today, ESA’s Space Safety programme takes another step towards answering this question. The programme has received permission to begin preparatory work for its next planetary defence mission – the Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses).

Ramses will rendezvous with the asteroid 99,942 Apophis and accompany it through its safe but exceptionally close flyby of Earth in 2029. Researchers will study the asteroid as Earth’s gravity alters its physical characteristics. Their findings will improve our ability to defend our planet from any similar object found to be on a collision course in the future.

Primordial black holes are tiny versions of the big beasts you typically think of. They’re so small, they could easily fit inside stuff, like a planet, or a star… or a person. So, needless to say, this has piqued the curiosity of our Dead Planeteers.

Leah and Chelsea want to know, can you put primordial black holes inside things and what happens if you do?

Continue reading “Putting Black Holes Inside Stuff | Dead Planets Society Podcast” »

Astronomers have captured what appears to be a snapshot of a massive collision of giant asteroids in Beta Pictoris, a neighboring star system known for its early age and tumultuous planet-forming activity.

The observations spotlight the volatile processes that shape star systems like our own, offering a unique glimpse into the primordial stages of planetary formation.

“Beta Pictoris is at an age when planet formation in the terrestrial planet zone is still ongoing through giant asteroid collisions, so what we could be seeing here is basically how rocky planets and other bodies are forming in real time,” said Christine Chen, a Johns Hopkins University astronomer who led the research.

Two asteroids, including the newly detected 2024 MK, will pass Earth safely this week, coinciding with Asteroid Day. The event highlights efforts such as ESA’s asteroid deflection mission and their new Flyeye telescope system aimed at improving our detection and response to these celestial threats.

Two large asteroids will safely pass Earth this week, a rare occurrence perfectly timed to commemorate this year’s Asteroid Day. Neither poses any risk to our planet, but one of them was only discovered a week ago, highlighting the need to continue improving our ability to detect potentially hazardous objects in our cosmic neighborhood.

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The event is so rare because of its large size – 375 meters (1230 feet) average diameter – as well as its proximity to the Earth.

“The 2029 flyby is an incredibly rare event,” ESA explained in an X post. “By comparing impact craters across the Solar System with the sizes and orbits of all known asteroids, scientists believe that an asteroid as large as Apophis only comes this close to Earth once every 5,000 to 10,000 years.

New observations spotlight the volatile processes that shape star systems like our own, offering a unique glimpse into the primordial stages of planetary formation.

Astronomers have captured a snapshot of a giant asteroid collision in Beta Pictoris, revealing insights into early planetary formation. The study, using data from the James Webb and Spitzer Space Telescopes, tracked dust changes around the star. The findings suggest a massive collision 20 years ago, altering our understanding of this young star system’s development.

Massive collision in beta pictoris star system.

Scientists have unveiled three concepts for tiny spacecraft that could voyage from Earth to meet Apophis in April 2029.

Discussions about asteroid 2024 GJ2 near miss with Earth on 11 Apr 24, and asteroids Apophis, Bennu, potential impacts and more!

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Continue reading “Asteroid 2024 GJ2 — Will It Hit Earth?” »

As the infrared space telescope continues its long-duration survey of the universe, it is creating a unique resource for future astronomers to make new discoveries.

Continue reading “NASA’s NEOWISE Unveils Hidden Universe of Near-Earth Objects” »