Astronomers have learned lots about the universe − but how do they study astronomical objects too distant to visit?

Luke Keller, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Ithaca College

12 October 2023 at 8:29 am

NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft flew by Earth on Sept. 24, 2023, dropping off its sample of dust and pebbles gathered from the surface of near-Earth asteroid Bennu. Analysis of this sample will help scientists understand how the solar system formed and from what sorts of materials. As an astronomer studying how planets form around distant stars, I felt excited watching the broadcast of that Bennu sample descending to the Utah desert – and a little envious.

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