Astronomers are meeting today at the Planetary Defense Conference to discuss plans to observe asteroid 99942 Apophis, a relatively large asteroid that'll sweep past Earth safely - but rather closely - in 2029.
"We were gobsmacked by what we saw in this system. It was completely unexpected ... It tells us a little more about that big question: ‘How did we get here?'"
For the 1st time, the European Space Agency will cover progress of a hypothetical asteroid impact scenario - this week - live via social media, from the heart of the Planetary Defense Conference in Washington, DC.
Scientists released the OSIRIS Image Viewer to make the amazing images of comet 67P - acquired by the Rosetta spacecraft - easily accessible on the internet.
More photos of the magnificent solitary sunspot - AR2738 - that's made its way across the sun's face over the past couple of weeks. Thanks to all in the EarthSky community who contributed photos!
Mercury and Venus came so close in the morning sky this month that they fitted into a single binocular field. But from Earth's northerly latitudes, Mercury was hard to see! Photos here.
Deborah Byrd (asteroid 3505 Byrd) helps edit EarthSky.org and is a frequent host of EarthSky videos. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named in her honor in 1990, a Public Service Award from the National Science Board in 2003, and the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 2020. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.