Cosmic cleaners: the scientists scouring English cathedral roofs for space dust
Mini missions are being launched amid the spires – a haven for dust particles that may contain clues about the cosmos and the early Earth
February 2024
Skyscraper-sized asteroid to pass within 1.7m miles of Earth on Friday
Nasa says it will be a harmless flyby by the giant rock, one of several near-Earth objects slated to swing by the planet this week
December 2023
Alien intelligence is surely worth shining a light on
Letters: Readers respond to a piece about Harvard’s Avi Loeb and his explorations into extraterrestrial life
November 2023
The alien hunter: has Harvard’s Avi Loeb found proof of extraterrestrial life?
The astrophysicist and professor likes to ruffle feathers – and says his critics are merely jealous. He discusses UFOs, interstellar objects and the risks of his all-consuming search
‘It’s amazing’: scientists analyse 4.6bn-year-old dark dust from Bennu asteroid
Natural History Museum prepares to study pristine material gathered in Nasa’s Osiris-Rex mission
Mini moon: Nasa spacecraft discovers asteroid orbited by its own tiny satellite
Dinkinesh – Amharic for ‘you are marvelous’ – lies beyond orbit of Mars and has its own dinky sidekick barely 220 metres across
October 2023
Nasa sends Psyche spacecraft to rare metal asteroid in first mission of its kind
Nasa shows off first asteroid samples delivered by spacecraft
September 2023
‘A treasure for scientific analysis’: Nasa holds Bennu asteroid sample press conference – as it happened
The blog is now closed, but you can read the full story about the successful Osiris-Rex sample touchdown here
‘Like a dream’: successful return of Nasa capsule with asteroid sample hailed
Return of the largest asteroid sample ever to be recovered marks the culmination of a seven-year journey
Nasa’s Osiris-Rex mission: asteroid sample plummets towards Earth
Capsule will contain some of oldest materials formed in solar system
July 2023
Queen guitarist and astrophysicist Brian May to release 3D atlas of asteroid
The rocker astrophysicist is co-author of a three-dimensional atlas of Bennu, an asteroid explored by the Osiris-Rex probe in 2020
March 2023
‘City killer’ asteroid to pass harmlessly between Earth and moon
Nasa tracking asteroid that could ruin Valentine’s Day in 2046
February 2023
Fragments of ‘Valentine’s fireball’ meteorite fall in southern Italy
Object hit balcony in Matera and remnants in pristine condition – ‘almost as if we collected it directly from space’, says expert
Asteroid lights up sky over Channel creating shooting star effect
Scientists predict asteroid strike for only seventh time as 1-metre object enters Earth’s atmosphere
Asteroid burns over Channel after entering Earth's atmosphere – video
An asteroid explodes in the night sky after entering Earth's atmosphere over the Channel
January 2023
Asteroid 2023 BU about to pass Earth in one of closest ever encounters
No danger, says Nasa, from delivery truck-sized asteroid that was discovered on Saturday and will pass lower than communication satellites
December 2022
Above and beyond: key events in 2022 that shaped space exploration
It was a great year for a slight lifting of the veil on the final frontier – from redirecting an asteroid to a glimpse into creation
November 2022
Meteorite that landed in Cotswolds may solve mystery of Earth’s water
Rock that crashed into family’s driveway provides compelling evidence water arrived on asteroids
