What happens if an asteroid hits the moon? 26JUL2025

 What happens if an asteroid hits the moon? Asteroid 2024 YR4

What happens if an asteroid hits the moon?

Astronomers are racing to find answers

By Ashley Strickland, CNN, July 25, 2025

https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/25/science/asteroid-2024-yr4-potential-lunar-impact

2024 YR4, NASA

When asteroid 2024 YR4 was first discovered, it

was thought the asteroid had a very small chance

of impacting Earth on Dec. 22, 2032. After more

observations, NASA has concluded the object poses

no significant impact risk to Earth in 2032 and beyond.

https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/asteroids/2024-yr4/

Will asteroid 2024 YR4 hit the Moon?, European Space Agency

https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/asteroids/2024-yr4/

2024 YR4 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_YR4

Yours,

Paul H.

Earth’s ‘oldest’ impact structure is much younger than previously thought – new study 25JUL2025

 Earth’s ‘oldest’ impact structure is much younger than previously thought – new study

Earth’s ‘oldest’ impact crater is much younger than previously thought – new study

Aaron Cavosie and Alec Brenner, The Conversation, July 9, 2025,

https://theconversation.com/earths-oldest-impact-crater-is-much-younger-than-previously-thought-new-study-259803

Note: “impact structure" is the correct terminology as the crater has long since

destroyed by erosion and tectonics.

The open access papers are:

Kirkland, Christopher L.; Johnson, Tim E.; Kaempf, Jonas; Ribeiro, Bruno V.;

Zametzer, Andreas; Smithies, R. Hugh; McDonald, Brad (6 March 2025).

"A Paleoarchaean impact crater in the Pilbara Craton, Western Australia". Nature

Communications. 16 (1): 2224. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 11885519. PMID 40050265.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-57558-3

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11885519/

Brenner, Alec R.; Cavosie, Aaron J.; Palma-Gomez, Jasmine; Li, Joanna;

Kingsbury Lee, Sophie-An; Fu, Roger R. (11 July 2025). "Geology and Mars

analog potential of the <2.7-billion-year-old Miralga impact structure, North

Pole Dome, Pilbara Craton, Australia". Science Advances. 11 (28).

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adu5379

Yours,

Paul H.

Study finds link between Grand Canyon landslide and Meteor Crater impact 22JULY2025

 Study finds link between Grand Canyon landslide and Meteor Crater impact

Study finds link between Grand Canyon landslide and Meteor

Crater impact by University of New Mexico, PhysOrg, July 15, 2025

https://phys.org/news/2025-07-link-grand-canyon-landslide-meteor.html

Grand Canyon landslide due to Meteor Crater impact?

EarthSky, July 20, 2025

https://earthsky.org/earth/grand-canyon-landslide-and-lake-due-to-meteor-crater-impact/

The open access paper is:

Karlstrom, K.E., Baisan, C.H., Kring, D.A., Hereford, R., Turney, C.,

Hogg, A., Norman, L.M., O’Brien, P., Palmer, J.G., Rittenour, T.M.

and Ballensky, J., 2025. Grand Canyon landslide-dam and paleolake

triggered by the Meteor Crater impact at 56 ka. Geology.

Yours,

Paul H.

Have we finally solved mystery of magnetic moon rocks? 20JUL2025

 Have we finally solved mystery of magnetic moon rocks?

Have we finally solved mystery of magnetic moon rocks?

Simulations show how e/ects of asteroid impact could amplify the early Moon's weak magnetic field. Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, May 2025

https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/05/have-we-finally-solved-mystery-of-magnetic-moon-rocks/

The open access paper is:

S. Narrett, I., Oran, R., Chen, Y., Miljković, K., Tóth, G.,

Mansbach, E.N. and Weiss, B.P., 2025. Impact plasma

amplification of the ancient lunar dynamo. Science

Advances, 11(21), p.eadr7401.

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adr7401

Yours,

Paul H.