Sign Up for Our Amazing Newsletter!
A daily update by email. Science news, great photos, sky alerts.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Posts by
Eddie Irizarry
Watch online today: Small, close-passing asteroid
Watch online today as asteroid 2020 SW swoops in for its closest approach to Earth on Thursday. The asteroid will pass just 7% of the moon's distance. Charts here for telescope users. How to watch online.
September 23, 2020
Asteroid 2011 ES4 will pass closest on September 1
The orbit of asteroid 2011 ES4 is still not entirely known. Our knowledge of it might improve sometime today - or early tomorrow - if it is "recovered" by astronomers. It's expected to pass within the moon's orbit, possibly as close as 0.19 lunar distances.
August 31, 2020
Arecibo Observatory damaged by broken lashing cable
The new damage to Arecibo, caused by the heavy cable, happened while repairs from 2017's Hurricane Maria were still ongoing.
August 12, 2020
Comet NEOWISE, the best comet of 2020
A few observers in the Southern Hemisphere are beginning to capture Comet NEOWISE, too. Charts here for seeing the comet in late July and early August.
July 27, 2020
Biggest asteroid to pass close (and undetected) this year
Asteroid 2020 LD passed within the moon's distance on June 5, but wasn't discovered until June 7. It's the 45th known and the largest asteroid to sweep within a lunar-distance of Earth so far in 2020.
June 11, 2020
View Comet SWAN online
We suspect most of you have not seen this comet, which is rising only shortly before the sun now. Let the Virtual Telescope's Gianluca Masi show it to you online this week.
May 24, 2020
Online viewing of large asteroid rescheduled for April 29
A cloudy sky last night prevented the online viewing of large, close-passing asteroid 1998 OR2. The Virtual Telescope Project will be trying again today to show you the asteroid, which passed us earlier today.
April 29, 2020
Will you see BepiColombo’s goodbye flyby on April 9?
BepiColombo is a spacecraft on a roundabout journey to Mercury. It'll sweep near Earth tonight, using Earth as a gravity slingshot to send it hurtling toward the inner solar system. For most of us, BepiColombo will pass unseen. But people with telescopes might spot it! Charts and more here.
April 9, 2020
Is bright Comet ATLAS disintegrating?
Comet C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) has been fainter during the last few nights. It's possible it's disintegrating (as comets sometimes do). Details here.
April 8, 2020
No, asteroid 2007 FT3 won’t hit Earth in October
Why is the internet so chock-full of stories about asteroids on a collision course with Earth? At this rate, we should have been obliterated many times over already. Here comes the newest scare story: asteroid 2007 FT3. No, it won't hit us, either.
September 18, 2019
