NASAのDARTミッションの画像が、二重小惑星系における小惑星が低速の破片を通じて物質を交換するという初めての直接的な視覚証拠を提供した。ディモルフォスという小惑星の月に現れた薄い筋は、親小惑星ディディモスからの破片が日光による自転の影響でそこに到達したことを示唆している。この発見は地球近傍小惑星の動的な性質を強調する。
2022年、NASAのDouble Asteroid Redirection Test (DART)探査機が、ディディモスの月であるディモルフォスに意図的に衝突した。衝突直前に撮影された画像の詳細な解析により、ディモルフォスの表面に明るい扇状の筋が明らかになった。これらの痕跡は、ディディモスからその伴星への最近の物質移動を示している。
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NASA's Artemis II crew became the first humans in over 50 years to loop around the moon's far side on April 6, traveling farther from Earth than any before them. The astronauts captured unprecedented views, including close-ups of craters and a unique solar eclipse. They are now heading back for a splashdown off California on April 10.
New research shows that Nasa's Dart spacecraft, which crashed into the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos in 2022, has changed the orbit of the binary asteroid system around the sun. This marks the first time a human-made object has measurably altered a celestial body's path in this way. The findings highlight potential methods for planetary defense against hazardous space objects.
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Astronauts aboard NASA's Orion spacecraft during the Artemis II mission observed as many as six flashes on the far side of the moon. The flashes came from small meteorites impacting the lunar surface. The impacts produced brief bursts of light visible from thousands of kilometers away.
New research has resolved a long-standing debate, confirming that the Silverpit Crater beneath the North Sea resulted from an asteroid strike about 43 to 46 million years ago. The impact generated a tsunami over 100 meters high. Led by Dr. Uisdean Nicholson of Heriot-Watt University, the study used seismic imaging and shocked minerals to provide definitive evidence.
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Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope observed comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) shortly after it split into four fragments, thanks to a lucky scheduling change. The high-resolution images provide unprecedented detail on the event. Researchers noted an unexpected delay in the comet's brightening after the breakup.
Astronomers have identified massive rings of plasma around young M dwarf stars that function as built-in monitors for stellar space weather. These structures, presented at the American Astronomical Society meeting, could help assess conditions for habitable planets orbiting these common stars. The findings come from research by Carnegie's Luke Bouma and Moira Jardine of the University of St Andrews.
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Astronomers are using advanced telescopes to catalog thousands more objects in the Kuiper Belt, a distant ring of ancient solar system debris beyond Neptune. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time, which began operating in 2025, will lead this effort, potentially revealing hidden planets and structures. Experts anticipate discoveries that could clarify the early solar system's history.