ASTEROID

An asteroid is about to give Earth a record-breaking close shave, as it comes closer to the planet than any asteroid has before -- even closer than many satellites.

Deep Space Industries said Tuesday that it plans to start launching its 55-pound FireFly spacecraft in 2015.

Observations taken during the asteroid’s flyby this week have helped to rule out an apocalyptic scenario on Easter Sunday in 2036.

“Doomsday asteroid” Apophis flew by the Earth on Wednesday, and while there was no chance of the giant asteroid hitting our planet then, for some time, scientists have been worried that the asteroid could hit Earth when it swings by again in 2029 and 2036. Now, after Wednesday’s close encounter, scientists at NASA have ruled out any significant chance of an impact by Asteroid Apophis.

Apophis, the "doomsday object" will be able to seen through live stream thanks to Space.com.

Observations of near-Earth asteroid Apophis during this pass could help scientists refine their calculations for closer shaves in 2029 and 2036.

The asteroid Apophis, thought to have a tiny chance of hitting the earth in 2036, is making a pass overhead on Wednesday night.

Photos of the 2012 Geminid meteor show.

Get ready for some serious shooting star action, because the Geminid meteor shower is about to peak.

The Geminids meteor shower is poised to be the best meteor shower of the year, and this NASA live stream view is your best way to watch the spectacle from the comfort of your home.

A three-mile wide asteroid called Toutatis began its path Tuesday night as it flew by Earth -- on its journey for the next week.

NASA keeps tabs on Toutatis and other celestial objects that make close fly-bys of Earth, but the odds of any object devastating the planet within the next few centuries are very small.

Live stream footage the 3-mile wide asteroid Toutatis flying by Earth.

This guide provides some helpful advice on where, when and how to watch the Geminids meteor shower in all its glory. The Geminids meteor shower will peak this week, and amateur and professional astronomers are preparing for what many space-watchers say will be the best meteor shower of the year.

Scientists at NASA captured stunning images of a mile-wide asteroid as it approached Earth over three days in late October and early November.

Applying a nice coat of paint to a deadly asteroid could help save the planet, according to one MIT student.

Asteroid 2012 TC4 will be flying past Earth, and Slooh is providing live-streaming footage of its journey.

The best reason for any undertaking? Making sure a Michael Bay and Ben Affleck movie doesn't become a reality. A nonprofit foundation aims to launch a space telescope that will track half a million asteroids in the solar system, searching for any potential threats to our planet before it's too late.

Based on latest findings and data released by NASA, researchers now anticipate that asteroid 2011 AG5, discovered in January 2011, will fly safely past, without impacting Earth in 2040.

The asteroid that destroyed the dinosaurs (except for those that went on to become birds) may have just been the final blow for some species that were already on the decline, a new study claims.

Planetary Resources, an asteroid mining company backed by filmmaker James Cameron and other well-know investors, was officially announced on Tuesday, with plans to launch exploratory spacecraft over the next two years to hunt for raw materials, ranging from water to precious metals from Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs) a few years after that.