Comet 2017 K2 (PanSTARRS) – dubbed ‘The Record-Breaker’ – will make its close approach to Earth on July 14, 2022, and then reach perihelion (the closest point to the Sun) on December 19, close to the orbit of Mars. The comet is record-breaking because it was already becoming active when it was discovered in 2017 under the feeble glow of the distant Sun.
A very bright daylight fireball was seen and recorded over Wellington, New Zealand at around 01:50 UTC on July 7, 2022 (13:50 LT). The event lasted about 10 seconds and was followed by a loud boom. It provided a wealth of scientific data as it left signatures on weather radars, seismometers, and geostationary satellites.
A newly-discovered asteroid designated 2022 NF will fly past Earth at a distance of just 0.2 LD / 0.00060 AU (89 328 km / 55 506 miles) at 13:00 UTC on July 7, 2022. This is the 65th known asteroid to fly past Earth within 1 lunar distance since the start of the year and the third so far this month.
A newly-discovered asteroid designated 2022 NE will fly past Earth at a distance of 0.3 LD / 0.00091 AU (135 958 km / 84 480 miles) at 10:55 UTC on July 6, 2022. This is the 64th known asteroid to fly past Earth within 1 lunar distance since the start of the year and the second so far this month.
A newly-discovered asteroid designated 2022 MN1 will fly past Earth at a distance of 0.92 LD / 0.00239 AU (357 240 km / 221 979 miles) at 09:29 UTC on June 28, 2022.
A wide number of eyewitnesses in Spain observed a series of fireballs crossing the night sky over the Mediterranean Sea between 22:30 and 22:32 UTC on June 20, 2022.
A very bright fireball illuminated the night sky over Bahia, Pernambuco, Ceara and Sergipe, Brazil on June 16, 2022.
On June 13, 2022, ESA releases its third and new full data set made by the Gaia observatory located at L2 Lagrangian point – about 1.5 million km or 930 000 miles from Earth. Among other things, this catalog includes chemical compositions, stellar temperatures, colors, masses, ages, and the speed at which stars move towards or away from us.
A newly-discovered asteroid designated 2022 LU2 flew past Earth at a distance of 0.43 LD / 0.00111 AU (166 537 km / 103 481 miles) at 00:02 UTC on June 8, 2022. This is the 61st known asteroid to fly past Earth within 1 lunar distance since the start of the year.
Between May 23 and 25, 2022, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope sustained a micrometeoroid impact to one of its primary mirror segments. While such strikes are an unavoidable aspect of operating any spacecraft, this most recent impact was larger than was modeled, and beyond what could have been tested on the ground.
