ASTEROIDS AND SIMILAR BODIES RECENT NEWS - March 11th to 20th, 2026

[Saulo Machado]

ASTEROIDS AND SIMILAR BODIES RECENT NEWS

March 11th to 20th, 2026

 

 

Dear global community,

 

Here is a periodic compilation of recent news in some languages for the production of lectures, conferences, podcasts/videocasts, reading circles, conversations, and comparisons:

 

 

(ENG)

3/19 - NASA peers inside an asteroid | Space photo of the day for March 19, 2026

https://www.space.com/astronomy/asteroids/nasa-peers-inside-an-asteroid-space-photo-of-the-day-for-march-19-2026

 

3/18 - How common are fireballs streaking across the sky?

https://phys.org/news/2026-03-common-fireballs-streaking-sky.html

 

3/17 - Asteroid Bennu's rugged surface baffled NASA—now, we finally know why

https://phys.org/news/2026-03-asteroid-bennu-rugged-surface-baffled.html

 

3/17 - Large craters offer clues to the origin of asteroid 16 Psyche

https://phys.org/news/2026-03-large-craters-clues-asteroid-psyche.html

 

3/17 - Suspected meteor falling over Cleveland could be seen several states away

https://phys.org/news/2026-03-meteor-falling-cleveland-states.html

 

3/17 -An asteroid just exploded above Ohio with the force of 250 tons of TNT

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/an-asteroid-just-exploded-above-ohio-with-the-force-of-250-tons-of-tnt/

 

3/17 - DNA’s Building Blocks May Have Arrived from Space, Asteroid Ryugu Samples Suggest

https://www.sci.news/space/five-canonical-nucleobases-ryugu-samples-14627.html

 

3/17 - Asteroid Ryugu Also Contains Life’s Building Blocks

https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/asteroid-ryugu-also-contains-lifes-building-blocks/

 

3/17 - Ryugu asteroid sample contains all five key components of DNA, scientists find

https://www.space.com/astronomy/asteroids/ryugu-asteroid-sample-contains-all-five-key-components-of-dna-scientists-find

 

3/17 - Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin wants to defend Earth against dangerous asteroids. Here's how

https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/jeff-bezos-blue-origin-wants-to-defend-earth-against-dangerous-asteroids-heres-how

 

3/17 - Rare daytime fireball spotted from orbit as residents report powerful sonic boom

https://www.space.com/stargazing/meteor-showers/rare-daytime-fireball-spotted-from-orbit-as-residents-report-powerful-sonic-boom

 

3/16 - Ryugu asteroid samples contain all DNA and RNA building blocks, bolstering origin-of-life theories

https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ryugu-asteroid-samples-dna-rna.html

 

3/16 - Why are craters perfectly round even though meteorites are irregularly shaped?

https://www.astronomy.com/science/why-are-craters-perfectly-round-even-though-meteorites-are-irregularly-shaped/

 

3/14 - NASA's DART Mission Also Changed Didymos' Orbit Around Sun

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/nasas-dart-mission-also-changed-didymos-orbit-around-sun

 

3/11 - The Rubin Observatory's LSST will detect imminent impactors before they crash into Earth

https://phys.org/news/2026-03-rubin-observatory-lsst-imminent-impactors.html

 

3/11 - NASA's DART planetary defense mission reveals asteroids hurling 'cosmic snowballs' at each other

https://www.space.com/space-exploration/asteroid-comet-missions/nasas-dart-planetary-defense-mission-reveals-asteroids-hurling-cosmic-snowballs-at-each-other

 

(DUT)  

3/16 - Alle letters van DNA en RNA aangetroffen in Ryugu-stof

https://scientias.nl/asteroide-ryugu-bevat-complete-set-bouwstenen-van-dna-en-rna/

 

(ESP)  

3/18 - Viaje al centro Psyche, el asteroide de los diez trillones de dólares

https://www.abc.es/ciencia/viaje-centro-psyche-asteroide-diez-trillones-dolares-20260318132428-nt.html

 

3/16 - Hallan en el asteroide Ryugu las cinco letras del ADN, el 'abecedario' completo de la vida

https://www.abc.es/ciencia/hallan-asteroide-ryugu-cinco-letras-adn-abecedario-20260316170104-nt.html

 

3/11 - Un asteroide ha cambiado su órbita alrededor del Sol por una acción humana

https://noticiasdelaciencia.com/art/56407/un-asteroide-ha-cambiado-su-orbita-alrededor-del-sol-por-una-accion-humana

 

(FRE)

3/18 - Cet astéroïde renferme les bases du vivant : de quoi troubler notre scénario des origines

https://www.futura-sciences.com/sciences/actualites/asteroides-cet-asteroide-renferme-bases-vivant-troubler-notre-scenario-origines-132967/

 

3/16 - Les cinq molécules à la base de l’ADN retrouvées dans les échantillons de l’astéroïde Ryugu

https://www.lemonde.fr/sciences/article/2026/03/16/les-cinq-molecules-a-la-base-de-l-adn-retrouvees-dans-les-echantillons-de-l-asteroide-ryugu_6671446_1650684.html

 

3/16 - Sur Ryugu, les briques complètes de la vie révélées par des échantillons extraterrestres

https://www.sciencesetavenir.fr/espace/exploration/toutes-les-bases-de-l-adn-detectees-sur-un-nouvel-asteroide_191439

 

(GER)

3/17 - Neue Ryugu-Analysen legen nahe, dass Bausteine des Lebens vom Himmel fielen

https://www.derstandard.at/story/3000000312640/neue-ryugu-analysen-legen-nahe-dass-bausteine-des-lebens-vom-himmel-fielen

 

3/16 - Asteroiden-Materie enthält alle Buchstraben des genetischen Codes

https://www.weltraum-aktuell.de/index.php/nachrichten2/1263-asteroiden-materie-enthaelt-alle-buchstraben-des-genetischen-codes

 

(ITA)

3/18 - Meteora esplode nel cielo di Cleveland: il boato che ha scosso l’Ohio e la spiegazione degli scienziati

https://www.meteoweb.eu/2026/03/meteora-esplode-nel-cielo-di-cleveland-il-boato-che-ha-scosso-lohio-e-la-spiegazione-degli-scienziati/1001910653/

 

3/18 - Il boato, le case tremano: meteorite “gigante” illumina il cielo in pieno giorno | VIDEO

https://www.meteoweb.eu/2026/03/il-boato-le-case-tremano-meteorite-gigante-illumina-il-cielo-in-pieno-giorno-video/1001910394/

 

3/17 - Sull'asteroide Ryugu ci sono tutte le lettere del codice genético

https://www.ansa.it/canale_scienza/notizie/spazio_astronomia/2026/03/17/sullasteroide-ryugu-ci-sono-tutte-le-lettere-del-codice-genetico_6883ba77-3d13-406d-bd31-bd7528b45395.html

 

3/17 - Trovate tutte le basi del DNA e dell’RNA nei campioni dell’asteroide Ryugu

https://www.astrospace.it/2026/03/17/trovate-tutte-le-basi-del-dna-e-dellrna-nei-campioni-dellasteroide-ryugu/

 

3/16 - I mattoni della vita arrivano dallo spazio: trovate tutte le basi del DNA sull’asteroide Ryugu

https://www.meteoweb.eu/2026/03/i-mattoni-della-vita-arrivano-dallo-spazio-trovate-tutte-le-basi-del-dna-sullasteroide-ryugu/1001907472/

 

3/12 - Blue Origin propone di utilizzare Blue Ring per modificare l'orbita di un asteroide pericoloso per...

https://www.hwupgrade.it/news/scienza-tecnologia/blue-origin-propone-di-utilizzare-blue-ring-per-modificare-l-orbita-di-un-asteroide-pericoloso-per-la-terra_151256.html

 

3/12 - Dart, la missione della Nasa ha fatto molto di più che deviare la traiettoria di un asteroide

https://www.wired.it/article/dart-missione-nasa-deviazione-asteroide-dimorphos-didymos-orbita-nuova-analisi/

 

(POR)

3/20 - Bennu: resolvido um mistério da superfície acidentada do asteroide

https://www.ccvalg.pt/astronomia/noticias/2026/03/20_bennu_osiris_rex.htm

 

3/18 - Moléculas em asteroide mostram que bases do DNA e do RNA existem fora da Terra; entenda impacto no debate sobre a origem da vida

https://g1.globo.com/ciencia/noticia/2026/03/18/nucleobases-detectadas-amostras-de-ryugu.ghtml

 

3/18 - Meteoro cruza céu em plena luz do dia nos EUA e provoca estrondo ouvido por moradores

https://g1.globo.com/ciencia-e-saude/video/meteoro-cruza-ceu-em-plena-luz-do-dia-nos-eua-e-provoca-estrondo-ouvido-por-moradores-14441956.ghtml

 

 

 

Asteroid missions schedule:

- June/26 – Tianwen arrives in Kamoʻoalewa

- December/26 – Hera spacecraft arrives in Dimorphos.

- April/28 – Ramses launch to Apophis (planned)

- April/29 – OSIRIS-APEX arrives in Apophis

- August/29 – Psyche spacecraft arrives in Psyche

 

Keep your audience informed about asteroids and planetary defense, always guarding them against misinformation and sensationalist news.

 

Register your event:

https://asteroidday.org/events/event-registration/add

 

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https://asteroidday.org/event-organizer-information/report-after-an-asteroid-day-event/

 

Best regards,

 

Saulo Machado

Global Event Coordinator