• Spinning comet rapidly slowed down during close approach to Earth

    Astronomers at Lowell Observatory observed comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresak last spring and noticed that the speed of its rotation was quickly slowing down. A research team led by David Schleicher studied the comet while it was closer to the Earth than it has ever…

  • Bright fireball, sonic boom reported over Sri Lanka

    A bright fireball accompanied by a sonic boom was reported streaking through the night sky over Sri Lanka around 15:30 UTC (21:00 local time) on October 18, 2017. Numerous people from the Southern Province of the country reported loud explosion associated with the…

  • Bright daylight meteor recorded over Long Island, New York

    A bright daylight meteor was observed and recorded disintegrating over Long Island, New York at around 19:00 UTC (15:00 EDT) on October 18, 2017. The event reportedly lasted from 3.5 to 7.5 seconds. One user reported seeing it for about 20 seconds. Although the…

  • Asteroid 2017 TD6 to flyby Earth at 0.5 LD on October 19, 2017

    A newly discovered asteroid designated 2017 TD6 will flyby Earth at 0.5 LD (~192 999 km / 119 303 miles) at 18:56 UTC on October 19, 2017. This is the 41st known asteroid to flyby Earth within 1 lunar distance since the start of the year. This asteroid belongs to…

  • Asteroid 2017 UF discovered a day after 0.99 LD Earth flyby

    A newly discovered asteroid designated 2017 UF flew past Earth at 0.99 LD (~380 160 km / 236 220 miles) on October 15, 2017, one day before it was discovered. This is the 40th known asteroid to flyby Earth within 1 lunar distance since the start of the year….

  • Impressive reentry of Russian SL-4 rocket body over Dubai, UAE

    An atmospheric reentry of a Russian SL-4 rocket body created a spectacular show over the Middle Eastern countries late Monday, October 16, 2017, witnessed and recorded by numerous people. The event lasted more than 55 seconds and was visible from Iraq, Bahrain, UAE…

  • ESO: Merging neutron stars scatter gold and platinum into space

    ESO’s fleet of telescopes in Chile have detected the first visible counterpart to a gravitational wave source. These historic observations suggest that this unique object is the result of the merger of two neutron stars. The cataclysmic aftermaths of this kind…

  • Asteroid 2017 TH5 to flyby Earth at 0.26 LD on October 16, 2017

    A newly discovered asteroid designated 2017 TH5 will flyby Earth at a very close distance of 0.26 LD (~99 840 km / 62 073 miles) from the surface of our planet at 17:15 UTC on October 16, 2017. This asteroid, first observed at Mt. Lemmon Survey on October 15, 2017,…