The world’s first full-scale planetary defense test is in motion. The mission is called DART and what scientists learn from it could save humankind from a future catastrophic event. Nancy Chabot is a ...

One of the keyhole probability maps of the asteroid Bennu, The crosshair corresponds to the location on the surface that minimises the asteroid impact hazard after deflection. The maps assume a ...

Let’s get the first question out of the way quickly. Asteroid 2024 YR4, a 50- to 90-meter-wide Earth-approaching object, is likely not going to hit our planet in 2032. But, since the odds of it ...

Smacking a planet-threatening asteroid comes with big responsibility. If we slam an impactor into an asteroid in exactly the wrong spot, the space rock may pass through a "gravitational keyhole" that ...

New research warns that if we don't hit an asteroid in exactly the right spot, it could end up on a collision course with Earth. Reading time: Reading time 2 minutes In September 2022, NASA ...