Latest news with #EurekaScientific
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Asteroid That Threatened Earth Shaped Like a Saucer, Scientists Find With Large Telescope
After taking another peek at the "city-killer" asteroid that once had a small but uncomfortable chance of smashing into our planet, astronomers have figured out what it actually looks like: a flat, spinning disk. The preferred analogy has been to compare the shape to a hockey puck. To us, this sounds like a huge missed opportunity to say that the Earth was — however briefly — under threat by a literal flying saucer, just like in that one movie. The findings come from a preprint study, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. Using the Gemini South Observatory in Chile, the astronomers imaged the roughly 200-foot asteroid, 2024 YR4, in multiple wavelengths, revealing that it was rapidly rotating once every 20 minutes, in addition to its unusual UFO-like appearance. "This find was rather unexpected since most asteroids are thought to be shaped like potatoes or toy tops rather than flat disks," lead author Bryce Bolin from Eureka Scientific said in a statement about the work. The chunky space rock was first spotted in late December of last year. Soon, early observations predicted that there was a small but disquieting chance of one percent that it could hit our planet. By February, the odds surpassed 3 percent, before the space rock was finally determined determined to be on a harmless trajectory. At the time, from what scientists could tell from visible light observations, 2024 YR4 appeared to be around 300 feet long, a size large enough to wipe out a metropolis should it strike one. Recent research using the James Webb Space Telescope's infrared capabilities, however, determined it was actually no more than 220 feet long, or about the size of a 10-story building, and as small as 174 feet. This latest study backs up that estimate, independently concluding that YR4 is between 98 to 213 feet in diameter. Digging deeper, the astronomers studied the asteroid's lightcurves, finding that 2024 YR4 is what's known as an S-type asteroid rich in silicates. That's not surprising, but its origins are: the asteroid appears to have been nudged our way by Jupiter out of the solar system's main asteroid belt, a ring of rocky objects surrounding the Sun that stretches between the orbits of Mars and the gas giant — specifically, a region called the central main belt. Previously, astronomers suspected 2024 YR4 came from the inner main belt, based on its composition — but its retrograde spin revealed in these latest observations indicate otherwise. "We are a bit surprised about its origin in the central main asteroid belt, which is a location in the asteroid belt that we did not think many Earth-crossing asteroids could originate from," Bolin said. While it no longer poses a threat to Earth, there's still a 3.8 percent chance YR4 could veer into the Moon, according to the latest Webb observations. If it does, the impact will leave a nasty scar — but shouldn't alter the lunar world's orbit. More on space: Scientists Intrigued by Stars Singing Ancient Songs
Forbes
09-04-2025
- Science
- Forbes
Moon-Threatening Asteroid Has Weird Shape, Scientists Say
Asteroid 2024 YR4's star has faded when it comes to the general public, but scientists are pumped to be learning more about it. The space rock reached celebrity status earlier this year when initial data showed it had a small chance of striking Earth in 2032. Further observations ruled out the scary scenario—but the moon is still in play. Now we know more about the famous asteroid. Scientists teamed up to study the asteroid and discovered some surprising information about its possible origin and shape. 'Studying this asteroid was vitally important in understanding the population of Earth crossers that have the potential to be Earth impactors and are poorly understood,' said astronomer Bryce Bolin of Eureka Scientific in a statement on April 8. Bolin is the lead author of a paper on the asteroid set to be published in 'The Astrophysical Journal Letters.' Bolin and his colleagues used the Gemini South telescope in Chile to image the asteroid. 'Detailed analysis of the asteroid's lightcurve (pattern of light output in time) allowed the team to determine its composition, orbital characteristics and 3D shape,' the United States National Science Foundation National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory said. The asteroid likely came from the solar system's main asteroid belt, a region between Mars and Jupiter. It's quite the hot hangout for asteroids, with NASA estimating it contains between 1.1 and 1.9 million asteroids larger than 0.6 miles in diameter—and many more smaller ones. 'We are a bit surprised about its origin in the central main asteroid belt, which is a location in the asteroid belt that we did not think many Earth-crossing asteroids could originate from,' said Bolin. The asteroid has a fast rotation of only about 20 minutes. The data shows YR4 has a shape reminiscent of a hockey puck. That qualifies as another surprise. 'This find was rather unexpected since most asteroids are thought to be shaped like potatoes or toy tops rather than flat disks,' Bolin said. The W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii also got in on the asteroid fun and contributed data to the team's paper. Keck's ability to see in infrared helped the researchers study the asteroid's composition. It's likely made of solid rock. Larger asteroids are often called 'rubble piles' since they're conglomerates of rock fragments. Asteroid YR4 may have once been a boulder on one of those larger asteroids. Whether an asteroid is solid or a rubble pile makes a difference when it comes to planetary defense. That's crucial information that could help with planning a mission like NASA's DART test. DART involved crashing a spacecraft into an asteroid to alter its orbit. Asteroid 2024 YR4 was first spotted in December. There had been some uncertainty about the asteroid's size, but NASA's James Webb Space Telescope turned its powerful instruments on the rock and found it measured in at about 200 feet wide, roughly the size of a 15-story building. That's within the initial estimates of between 130 and 300 feet wide. At one point, early observations suggested 2024 YR4 had a 3.1% chance of impacting Earth. As more data came in, researchers revised that down to near zero. However, the asteroid now has a 3.8% chance of impacting the moon on Dec. 22, 2032. Don't worry about the moon, though. 'In the small chance that the asteroid were to impact, it would not alter the moon's orbit,' NASA said in a statement on April 2. If YR4 does smack into the moon, it will be a thrilling time for astronomers. It would 'provide an unprecedented opportunity to study the relationship between the size of an asteroid and the size of its resulting impact crater—a previously unknown quantity,' NOIRLab said. Researchers aren't done with YR4 yet. Webb is set to check it out again in late April or early May, even as the asteroid becomes too far away and too faint for ground-based telescopes to make observations. Asteroid 2024 YR4 is no longer a big mystery. Its composition, size, shape and origin are better understood. We can also breathe a sigh of relief that it won't be barreling into our planet in 2032. The moon, however, may need to brace for impact. We'll know even more as scientists continue to study the space rock.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
'City Killer' Asteroid's Origin Traced to an Unexpected Part of The Solar System
When asteroid 2024 YR4 first revealed itself to humans on 27 December 2024, it seemed to have just shown up out of nowhere. An entire asteroid doesn't just materialize out of nothing, though, and now astronomers have determined what 2024 YR4 is made of, what it looks like, and the unexpected place in the Solar System that it came from. 2024 YR4 hails from the middle of the main asteroid belt that hangs out between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter – and it was pushed towards Earth by a gravitational interaction with Jupiter, which usually protects the inner Solar System from flying rocks. "We are a bit surprised about its origin in the central main asteroid belt, which is a location in the asteroid belt that we did not think many Earth-crossing asteroids could originate from," says astronomer Bryce Bolin of Eureka Scientific in the US. 2024 YR4 first captured the world's attention by raising the alarm of potential impact. Although it posed no danger during the Earth flyby on which it was discovered, initial observations suggested that it was on a trajectory that could bring it within striking range of Earth on its next go-around in 2032. The danger has since been downgraded to practically nothing (although the Moon might still be in the firing line, with a few percent chance of impact). 2024 YR4 is known as a 'city killer' asteroid, not because it will hit Earth, but because if it did, the devastation it could wreak would be pretty huge. When potentially hazardous asteroids show up, it's important for planetary defense to study them. How big they are, how they move through space, and what they're made of can all play a role in impact, and where they come from tells us if we should watch that corner of the Solar System for other dangers. So the discovery of 2024 YR4, and the initial alarms it raised, set scientists to work. Bolin and his colleagues used the W.M. Keck and Gemini South telescopes to obtain detailed observations of the space rock, to put together the most accurate description of its characteristics. "YR4 spins once every 20 minutes, rotates in a retrograde direction, has a flattened, irregular shape, and is the density of solid rock," Bolin says. "The shape of the asteroid provides us with clues as to how it formed, and what its structural integrity is. Knowing these properties is crucial for determining how much effort or what kind of technique needs to be used to deflect the asteroid if it is deemed a threat." Asteroids come in several different flavors. The most common are the carbonaceous asteroids, which are made up of a mix of different minerals, and can (but don't always) have a pretty loosey-goosey 'rubble pile' composition, like Bennu, Ryugu, and Dimorphos, famously the subject of an asteroid redirection test mission. S-type asteroids are much denser, usually a single chunk of siliceous rock. The researchers believe that this is the composition of 2024 YR4, information that would inform strategies for impact mitigation. It also measures between 30 and 65 meters (98–213 feet) across, and has a flattened shape somewhat like a hockey puck. Since most asteroids are thought to have shapes like potatoes or spinning tops, this is a bit surprising, and may help astronomers learn how 2024 YR4 formed. This information, the team says, will help scientists assess the properties of other potentially hazardous asteroids. It will also help refine rapid-response observation techniques for asteroids that, like 2024 YR4, just appear as though out of nowhere. And the researchers are very excited to see what the rock will do in the future. "It's one of the largest objects in recent history that could hit the Moon," Bolin says. "If it does, it would give scientists a rare chance to study how the size of an asteroid relates to the size of the crater it creates – something we haven't been able to measure directly before." The research will appear in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, and is available on arXiv. ESA Report Says There's Too Much Junk in Earth Orbit Trunk Terraforming Mars Isn't Impossible. New Study Describes First Step. Fermenting Miso in Space Gives It a Unique Flavor, Study Finds
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Hawaiʻi telescopes spot asteroid that could slam into the Moon: 8 things to know
HONOLULUJ (KHON2) — Astronomers at W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea have uncovered new insights about 2024 YR4. This is an Earth-crossing asteroid first spotted in December 2024. Their findings provide a closer look at the asteroid's composition and characteristics as well as revealing a surprising origin. YR4, a rocky and solid object, likely hails from an asteroid family in the central Main Belt. It's a region traditionally not known for producing Earth-crossing asteroids. 'This asteroid is a solid, stony type that rotates in a retrograde direction and has a flattened, irregular shape,' said Bryce Bolin, a research scientist with Eureka Scientific and lead author of the study. 'These physical properties are critical in determining how we might deflect the asteroid if it ever poses a threat to Earth.' While the asteroid made headlines with initial concerns about a potential Earth impact in 2032, further observations have since ruled out a collision with Earth. However, the asteroid may still have a ~2% chance of striking the Moon instead. This scenario has the potential to provide a rare opportunity for scientists to study the crater it would create. This is what we know: While 2024 YR4 was once feared to impact Earth in 2032, updated calculations show it is unlikely to collide with our planet. However, the asteroid could strike the Moon instead. It would offer scientists a unique chance to study how the size of an asteroid correlates with the crater it forms. 'If it does [hit the Moon], it would give scientists a rare chance to study how the size of an asteroid relates to the size of the crater it creates—something we haven't been able to measure directly before,' explained Bryce Bolin, a research scientist with Eureka Scientific and the lead author of the study on asteroid 2024 YR4. Unlike many Earth-crossing asteroids that come from the outer parts of the solar system, YR4's origins lie within the Main Belt between Mars and Jupiter. This is a region traditionally not associated with objects that cross Earth's orbit. 'YR4 is a solid, stony type that likely originated from an asteroid family in the central Main Belt between Mars and Jupiter, a region not previously known to produce Earth-crossing asteroids,' said around 50-60 meters (160-197 feet) in diameter, YR4 is one of the largest asteroids in recent history to possibly impact the Moon. Its shape and density suggest it may have been a boulder from a larger rubble-pile asteroid that broke apart. 'YR4 spins once every 20 minutes, rotates in a retrograde direction, has a flattened, irregular shape and is the density of solid rock,' said Bolin. 'At about 50–60 meters in diameter [similar to the width of a football field], it's one of the largest objects in recent history that could hit the Moon.' Using the Multi-Object Spectrograph for Infrared Exploration (MOSFIRE) at Keck Observatory, astronomers were able to analyze YR4 in the infrared spectrum. This method revealed key properties of the asteroid that would have been invisible to other telescopes. 'We were able to observe YR4 in the infrared, seeing properties of the asteroid that would otherwise be impossible to observe,' added Bolin. The observation of YR4 was a stroke of luck. Initially intended for studying distant objects beyond Neptune, the team's telescope pivoted due to technical difficulties. This allowed them to collect crucial data on the asteroid's physical properties. 'It was a serendipitous set of circumstances that allowed us to do these observations. The object's orbit was so well determined we knew its position to within less than an arcsecond,' explained Bolin. 'It was moving less than 10 arcseconds per minute… but we got it on our first try. My original science case was imaging for trans-Neptunian objects, but due to technical difficulties, we were able to pivot at the last minute to image the object.' Asteroids like YR4 often spark curiosity because of their unpredictable paths and potential hazards. YR4's trajectory and size make it an intriguing subject of study, particularly because it lies at the crossroads of several important asteroid families. Unlike larger asteroids, which are often 'rubble piles' composed of broken-up fragments from larger objects, YR4 appears to be a solid chunk of rock. This is significant, as the shape and structure of an asteroid can affect how it might be deflected if it were to pose a threat to Earth. The team used data from multiple observatories, including the Gemini South telescope in Chile, and the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), developed by the University of Hawaiʻi and funded by NASA. However, it was the high-precision instruments at Keck Observatory that allowed the astronomers to precisely track YR4's position with incredible accuracy. 'The orbit was so well-determined that we knew its position to within less than an arcsecond,' said Bolin. 'If we were off by even a small fraction, we would have missed it.' Maunakea is home to some of the most advanced telescopes on the planet. The W. M. Keck Observatory's twin 10-meter telescopes are equipped with cutting-edge technology, including high-resolution spectrographs and laser guide star adaptive optics systems. This power makes it one of the most productive observatories in the world. The observatory's ability to provide high-precision measurements is invaluable when studying fast-moving objects like YR4. The information gathered from these observations could be crucial in developing rapid response plans should a threatening asteroid be discovered in the future. While YR4's near miss with Earth doesn't pose a current threat, its study provides important lessons on how scientists track and assess potential asteroid threats. As astronomers continue to refine their methods of detecting and characterizing asteroids, the data collected from YR4 will serve as a valuable case study for future planetary defense efforts. You can click to read more. Get news on the go with KHON 2GO, KHON's morning podcast, every morning at 8 For now, astronomers are keeping a close eye on this Earth-crossing asteroid, and future observations may continue to reveal more about the potential hazards, and opportunities, that asteroids like YR4 Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press
08-04-2025
- Science
- Associated Press
New observations show the asteroid that won't hit Earth resembles a spinning hockey puck
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The asteroid that once had a small chance of striking Earth and now might slam into the moon resembles a spinning hockey puck, scientists said Tuesday. A team of astronomers used the Gemini South Observatory in Chile to observe asteroid 2024 YR4 in multiple wavelengths as it zoomed away from Earth in February, barely 1 1/2 months after its discovery. They created a 3D image of it based on their findings. The nearly 200 foot (60-meter) asteroid looks more like a flat disk — or not-quite-round hockey puck — than a potato. It also has a rapid rotation rate of about once every 20 minutes. 'This find was rather unexpected since most asteroids are thought to be shaped like potatoes or toy tops rather than flat disks,' the research team lead, Bryce Bolin from Eureka Scientific said in a statement. Scientists said it most likely originated in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and is rich in silicates. At one point earlier this year, NASA and the European Space Agency put the odds of the asteroid striking Earth in 2032 at 3%. It's now down to virtually zero for the next century, but there's a 3.8% chance it could strike the moon instead. Even if that happens, NASA assures the moon's orbit will not be altered. The asteroid —- which swings our way every four years — will be too far away by next week for ground telescopes to see. The Webb Space Telescope will take another look later this month or next. Scientists consider all this good practice for when a potentially killer asteroid heads our way. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
