The moon may look desolate and calm, but a lot happens on that dusty landscape. With zero atmosphere, space rocks of all sizes regularly bombard the lunar surface. Most of the debris is microscopic, but astronomers estimate around 140 coffee table-sized asteroids and comets also slam into our moon every year. When they do, the
It started as a routine data-quality check. But as Robert Wagner, a scientist with NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), scanned a giant Moon map on his computer screen, an unusually large bright spot circled by a dark halo caught his eye, as it implied that surface material in that area had been shaken up. “I
Receive the daily Popular Science newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries and DIY tips delivered six days a week. By registering, you confirm that you are 16 years of age or older, you will receive newsletters and promotional content, you agree to our Terms of Use, and you acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You can
New research led by scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California has revealed the identity of a puzzling near-Earth object by precisely tracking its movement through space and using powerful observatories that image faint celestial objects. This object has a split personality: Previous images had revealed no obvious comet-like activity, suggesting it could
Receive the daily Popular Science newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries and DIY tips delivered six days a week. By registering, you confirm that you are over 16 years of age, will receive newsletters and promotional content, agree to our Terms of Use, and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover has discovered evidence that a 245-foot (75-meter-thick) pile of ancient rock on the rim of Jezero Crater was built by repeated asteroid impacts. This sequence of layered bedrock, dubbed the “Broom Point Member” by the rover’s science team, is likely more than 3.9 billion years old, making it some of the
