Remember 2024 YR4, the asteroid that stole headlines as its Earth impact probability peaked around 3%? Well, it's now up to a 4% chance of hitting the Moon!
#BetterKnowAnAsteroid https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/planetary-defense/2025/06/05/nasas-webb-observations-update-asteroid-2024-yr4s-lunar-impact-odds/NASA’s Webb Observations Update Asteroid 2024 YR4’s Lunar Impact Odds
While asteroid 2024 YR4 is currently too distant to detect with telescopes from Earth, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope collected one more observation of the
China is reportedly poised to launch Tianwen-2, a
#BetterKnowAnAsteroid mission to visit and sample Kamo‘oalewa. This quasi-satellite of Earth might be a piece of ejecta from a lunar collision.
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2025/05/tianwen-2-launch/
China to launch the Tianwen-2 asteroid sample return mission - NASASpaceFlight.com
The Chinese space program is preparing to join the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and…
An updated look at the interior structure of Vesta. It may not have completely differentiated, leading to a more homogenous interior below its crust.
#BetterKnowAnAsteroid https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-025-02533-7
A small core in Vesta inferred from Dawn’s observations - Nature Astronomy
A new analysis of Dawn’s observations reveals Vesta’s moment of inertia, indicating limited central density variation. This finding suggests that Vesta did not undergo full differentiation, challenging conventional models of Vesta’s formation and evolution.
NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft Images Asteroid Donaldjohanson
In its second asteroid encounter, NASA’s Lucy spacecraft obtained a close look at a uniquely shaped fragment of an asteroid that formed about 150 million
We're about 15 minutes from Lucy's closest approach to Donaldjohanson!
#BetterKnowAnAsteroid https://www.whereislucy.space/
NASA’s Lucy Days Away from Asteroid Encounter - NASA Science
NASA’s Lucy spacecraft will soon reach the small main belt asteroid Donaldjohanson. In this image, created by stacking images that the Lucy spacecraft took during its approach, the asteroid appears as a series of points in front of the static background of stars and galaxies. In addition to the asteroid brightening as the spacecraft approaches...
NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft Prepares Second Asteroid Encounter - NASA
NASA’s Lucy spacecraft is 6 days and less than 50 million miles (80 million km) away from its second close encounter with an asteroid; this time, the small
If you want to learn a little more about the astronomers keeping an eye out for dangerous space rocks, NASA has a documentary for you.
#BetterKnowAnAsteroid https://www.nasa.gov/general/nasas-planetary-defenders-documentary-premieres-april-16/
NASA’s Planetary Defenders Documentary Premieres April 16 - NASA
NASA is bringing the world of planetary defense to the public with its new documentary, “Planetary Defenders.”
Gemini South Observes Shape and Origin of Near-Earth Asteroid 2024 YR4 - Astronomers have determined 3D shape and likely origins of house-sized asteroid that could potentially impact the Moon
Using observations from the Gemini South telescope in Chile, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, partly funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and operated by NSF NOIRLab, astronomers have constructed a 3D representation of the newly discovered near-Earth asteroid 2024 YR4. The team determined that the unusually-shaped rock is one of the largest objects in recent history that could impact the Moon, and that it likely originated from the main asteroid belt.
Better Know An Asteroid