Asteroids | Astronomy.com

A side-by-side sequence of three square panels shows a glowing blue point of light expanding against a black background over time. In the first panel labeled "+ 22 MINS," a small, bright white core is enveloped by a soft blue haze. In the middle and right panels, labeled "+ 5 HRS" and "+ 8.2 HRS," the central bright spot intensifies while spiky blue rays and fan-like plumes spread further outward across space.

Robotic Spaceflight, Today in the History of Astronomy

Sept. 29, 2022: Seeing the DART impact

A monochrome, close-up photograph shows a diamond-shaped asteroid with a rough, gravel-like surface centered against a solid black background. Bright, direct lighting highlights thousands of tiny, reflective grey and white specks interspersed with dark, pitted shadows and scattered boulders. High contrast emphasizes its jagged, rounded perimeter and uneven, rubble-covered terrain.

Robotic Spaceflight, Today in the History of Astronomy

Sept. 8, 2016: OSIRIS-REx launches

A monochrome photograph shows a large, roundish asteroid filling the frame against a solid black space background. Strong directional lighting coming from the right illuminates a heavily pockmarked, grey surface covered in round craters and ridges. The left half of the body curves sharply into deep black shadow, creating strong contrast across the terrain.

Today in the History of Astronomy

Sept. 1, 1804: Karl Harding spots 3 Juno

A monochrome photograph shows an elongated, heavily cratered grey asteroid floating in the left center of a solid black background. Bright, direct sunlight illuminates its pitted, irregular surface, while deep shadows cover its lower edge and back side. To the far right, a tiny, round grey object appears isolated against the dark space, echoing the texture of the larger main body.

Today in the History of Astronomy

Aug. 28, 1993: An asteroid harbors a surprise

Robotic Spaceflight, Solar System

Tianwen-2 arrives at target asteroid Kamoʻoalewa

A black-and-white photograph shows a hillside covered in dozens of fallen, stripped tree trunks all knocked down and pointing in the same direction. A few bare, vertical trunks still stand scattered amidst the devastation, while patches of snow and low brush cover the ground. The image is evenly lit with clear contrast between the dark bark of the logs and the light, snowy terrain.

Today in the History of Astronomy

June 30, 1908: The Tunguska impact

A horizontal, grainy black-and-white image is divided into three side-by-side panels against a dark, speckled background. Each panel features a thin white circle highlighting a small, fuzzy grey shape that shifts slightly in form from left to right. The bottom of the image has three neat white labels reading "Mar 8", "Mar 9", and "Mar 10" under each respective panel.

Today in the History of Astronomy

June 19, 2004: Astroid Apophis is discovered

A color photograph shows two men wearing glasses standing outdoors in front of a steeply tilted, layered rock formation. The older man on the left wears a white, short-sleeved button-down shirt and dark pants, while the younger man on the right wears a blue short-sleeved shirt, dark pants, and holds a small hammer. Both men are smiling at the camera and touching the rocky, tan and grayish-brown cliff face behind them under bright daylight.

Today in the History of Astronomy

June 6, 1980: The asteroid impact theory

Robotic Spaceflight, Today in the History of Astronomy

May 9, 2003: Hayabusa launches

Robotic Spaceflight, Today in the History of Astronomy

April 20, 2025: Visiting Asteroid Donaldjohanson

Today in the History of Astronomy

March 29, 1807: Heinrich Olbers discovers Vesta

Today in the History of Astronomy

March 28, 1802: Heinrich Olbers discovers Pallas