The Asteroid News

06/09/2026

I did a Monte Carlo run (Gaussian noise level 1.0) in Find_Orb, and the meter-sized asteroid CERNQ52 is definitely going to impact Earth at about 16:07 UT, over the Indian Ocean northwest of Australia. All 103/103 Monte Carlo clones impacted Earth.
https://neo.ssa.esa.int/imminent-impactors

06/09/2026

Meter-sized CERNQ52 asteroid is definitely going to impact the Earth at 16h 07min UT, between Australia and Indonesia: it's the 13th asteroid to be discovered before it entered the atmosphere of our planet!

10/07/2026

https://youtu.be/NP3dY82H5hM

ALCon 2026 is fast approaching. Learn more about the fantastic line up of presenter!

https://youtu.be/NP3dY82H5hM

10/07/2026

The Asteroid News - New Names of Minor Planets published by the IAU on 2026 July 9

New names of numbered minor planets approved by the IAU Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature and published in WGSBN Bull. 6, #11 (2026 July 9).

10/07/2026

300 Pens

07/07/2026

We are just 36 days away from ALCON 2026 Cincinnati, the nation's premier amateur astronomy conference.

Some deadlines for registration are approaching fast:
July 14: For discounted rooms at The Cincinnati Marriott at Rivercenter

July 24th: For ticketed events outside the Marriot, like the welcome dinner at Molly Malones Covington, the StarBQ at the Cincinnati Museum Center, and the tours of the Cincinnati Observatory and Brewery Caverns Tour

July 31st: General registration closes, and all ticketed Marriott events close including the Welcome Brunch, the Keynote Banquet, as well as tickets to the afterparty on July 16th at The Moeller Observatory.

Also, our vendor tables will be open to the public during the conference. Stop by and see our 2026 ALCON vendors.

Join us for ALCON's return to the Great Lake Region for the first time in 27 years.

07/07/2026

The Asteroid News - New Names of Minor Planets published by the IAU on 2026 July 6

New names of numbered minor planets approved by the IAU Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature and published in WGSBN Bull. 6, #10 (2026 July 6).

01/07/2026

They say the answer to everything is 42. It may or may not be, but it is the answer today to the question "how many days til ALCON 2026 Cincinnati?"

Registration deadlines are fast approaching. It's going to be a lot of fun. See ALCON2026.org for details on the nation's premier amateur astronomy conference.

13/04/2026

The IAU Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature (WGSBN) published a list of new, officially named minor planets (asteroids), included is

(9660) Brucewillis = 1996 FW

New names of numbered minor planets approved by the IAU Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature and published in WGSBN Bulletin Volume 6, #6 (2026 April 13).

17/03/2026

The Asteroid News - New Names of Minor Planets (number asteroids) published by the IAU on 2026 March 16

New names of numbered minor planets approved by the IAU Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature and published in WGSBN Bulletin Volume 6, #4 (2026 March 16).