Astronomy, features and articles | Educational Science

Jul 27, 2020

A Martian meteorite is going home, in NASA's Perseverance mission launch

A piece of Mars that fell to Earth decades ago is heading back to the Red Planet. When NASA's Perseverance rover mission lifts off on Thursday (July 30) — if all goes according to schedule — one object on board won't be visiting Mars for the first time; it'll be...

Aug 8, 2020

Moon may outshine Perseid meteor shower this month

Skywatchers beware: the moon will hinder attempts to observe the Perseids, typically one of the best meteor displays of the year. For Northern Hemisphere observers, August is usually regarded as meteor month, with one of the best displays of the year reaching its peak mid-month. Unrolling a sleeping bag in...

Aug 21, 2020

Rainbow meteorite discovered in Costa Rica may hold building blocks of life

A small, soft space rock smacked into Costa Rica on April 23, 2019. And it may have carried building blocks for life. The washing machine-sized clay fireball broke up before landing, . Locals found shards scattered between two villages, La Palmera and Aguas Zarcas. And while meteorites turn up all...

Sep 23, 2020

Gold miners discover 100 million-year-old meteorite crater Down Under

Gold miners in the Australian Outback recently discovered a gigantic meteorite crater dating to about 100 million years ago, back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Found near the Western Australian town of Ora Banda, the newly dubbed Ora Banda Impact Crater is about 3 miles (5 kilometers) across. This huge...

Oct 7, 2020

Draconid Meteor Shower 2020: When, where and how to watch the unpredictable 'shooting star' display

A Draconid meteor streaks across the starry sky over Taos, New Mexico, in this photo taken by Mike Lewinski on Oct. 5, 2018. (Image credit: Mike Lewinski/Flickr/CC BY 2.0)The annual Draconid meteor shower peaks on Wednesday, Oct. 7, but don't get your hopes up for a spectacular sky show. Even...

Dec 13, 2020

Spectacular Geminid meteor shower peaks tonight. Here's how to watch the show.

The best shooting stars of the year should be visible on Sunday night (Dec. 13) into the wee hours of Monday morning (Dec.14). That's when the Geminids meteor shower is expected to peak, according to Sky & Telescope magazine. This annual meteor shower gets its name because the bulk of...

Jan 4, 2021

Here's how to watch stunning Quadrantid meteor shower tonight

The Quadrantid meteor shower is peaking, and skywatchers in North America have a good chance of seeing the tail end of the show tonight. This annual meteor shower typically peaks between Jan. 3 and Jan. 4 each year. This year has thus far provided less-than-ideal views for skywatchers, given that...

Feb 23, 2021

Lumpy, 30-pound meteorite that crashed in Sweden recovered in local village

A half-melted hunk of iron-rich rock found in Uppsala, Sweden, is part of a meteorite that fell there in November 2020. The lumpy meteorite is about the size of a loaf of bread and weighs around 31 pounds (14 kilograms), according to the Swedish Museum of Natural History. It was...

Mar 3, 2021

Fireball lights up the night sky above UK as meteor breaks apart

A massive fireball meteor briefly lit up the night sky above the U.K. on Sunday (Feb. 28) and was seen by a potentially record-breaking number of people. The fireball flared across the sky at 9:54 p.m. local time over southwest England for around six seconds. Witnesses said the meteor emitted...

Mar 8, 2021

4.6-billion-year-old meteorite belongs to Earth’s long-lost baby cousin

A lonely meteorite that landed in the Sahara Desert in 2020 is older than Earth. The primeval space rock is about 4.6 billion years old, and is the oldest known example of magma from space. Its age and mineral content hint that the rock originated in our early solar system...

Mar 8, 2021

Meteor explodes over Vermont with the force of 440 pounds of TNT

A meteor streaked through the night sky over Vermont on Sunday (March 7), creating a spectacular light show and causing Earth-shaking booms as it burned through the atmosphere. The meteor's explosive passage through the atmosphere released the equivalent of 440 pounds (200 kilograms) of TNT, suggesting that the meteor was...

Mar 9, 2021

Rare meteorite, a 'relic of the early solar system,' falls on a driveway in England

A meteorite found in the U.K. contains an extremely rare combination of minerals that could give scientists a glimpse into how the solar system formed and even how life emerged on Earth. The meteorite tumbled to Earth on Feb. 28, when a dazzling fireball zoomed over southwest England, Live Science...

Mar 23, 2021

World's oldest meteor crater isn't what it seems

The world's oldest meteor impact crater is not a crater at all, say scientists of a new study suggesting natural forces put the giant indent into Earth's surface. But the jury is still out. The wannabe crater, known locally as the Maniitsoq structure, is located 34 miles (55 kilometers) southeast...

Mar 24, 2021

Rare daytime fireball meteor creates massive sonic boom over UK

A rare daytime fireball meteor triggered a loud sonic boom across parts of the United Kingdom and France over the weekend. The sonic boom occurred at 2:50 p.m. local time on Saturday (March 20) and was reportedly heard in southwest England, Wales and northern France, according to Sky News. At...

Apr 13, 2021

Fireball meteor burns up over South Florida

A sparkling fireball zoomed across the sky near West Palm Beach, Florida on Monday night (April 13), and local news teams and home security systems caught footage of its dramatic descent. @CoralTap Just saw this in the sky from Parkland at 10:16PM. #Meteor pic.twitter.com/E1rqXUbku8April 13, 2021 See more The meteor...