Forward-looking: Using less power than an ordinary household appliance, a team of scientists was able to capture the highest resolution images of the Moon ever. Soon, researchers will have unprecedented and very powerful tools to probe the cosmos - and catch a potentially planet-killing asteroid before it strikes Earth.
That was close! An asteroid approximately the size of a large SUV or bigger swung around the Earth Thursday evening missing us by just over 2,000 miles. NASA said that it was one of the closest flybys of a near-Earth object in recorded history.
In brief: "Planet killer" asteroids are an over-abused science fiction trope inspiring films, books and other entertainment products. Asteroid Launcher is a new web tool that can give you a rough idea about the level of destruction giant space rocks can bring to our tiny, fragile blue marble of a planet.