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High-resolution observations of the third largest asteroid, (2) Pallas, from SPHERE unveil a heavily cratered surface, probably due to Pallas’s inclined and eccentric orbit, a density almost equal to carbonaceous chondrites and hint at surficial salt-enriched spots.

The Philae spacecraft was meant to anchor itself to the surface of the comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, but instead bounced into a hidden grotto. The telltale markings of its passage reveal details of the comet’s fragile boulders.

The distribution of boulders on the surface of top-shaped asteroids such as Bennu or Ryugu tells us about the processes driving their evolution. A model shows that the spin-up induced by the Yarkovsky–O’Keefe–Radzievskii–Paddack (YORP) effect can explain simultaneously both the latitudinal behaviour of the boulders and the regolith migration.

Patches of deposits containing unusual mafic minerals are observed in and around some large lunar impact craters. Numerical simulations suggest that in the slowest of these impacts, asteroidal material, alien to the Moon, could have survived.

The two small satellites of Mars are thought to have accreted from a debris disk formed in a giant impact. Simulations suggest the moons were shepherded into formation by the dynamical influence of one or more short-lived massive inner moons.

Data on Vesta’s surface material provided by the Dawn probe and impacts modelling reveals that Vesta’s crust–mantle boundary must be deeper than 80 kilometres below the surface.

The Martian 'hemispheric dichotomy' is expressed as a dramatic difference in elevation and crustal thickness between the southern highlands and northern lowlands. A set of single impact initial conditions by which a large impactor can produce features that are consistent with the observed dichotomy's crustal structure have been found. Using 3D hydrodynamic simulations, the models produce large variations in post-impact states depending on impact energy, velocity and, importantly, impact angle.

Numerical simulations suggest that Pluto’s moon Charon was captured intact, in a scenario in which the two bodies temporarily merged in a collision but did not coalesce due to solid strength effects.

One of the giants of planetary science, H. J. Melosh, died unexpectedly on 11 September 2020 at age 73. Through his students, postdocs and collaborators, he brought a high level of physical rigour to the growing field of planetary geology.

Images collected during NASA’s DART mission of the asteroid Didymos and its moon, Dimorphos, are used to explore the origin and evolution of the binary system. Authors analysis indicate that both asteroids are weak rubble piles and that Didymos’ surface should be about 40 to 130 times older than Dimorphos.

A single recent impact may have modified the craters on the asteroid Eros into the pattern we see today. This finding has implications for how we view the structure of asteroids — and for addressing any hazards they present.

Many asteroids have a porous structure, which helps them absorb energy from collisions without being smashed to bits. This shows how planets might have formed, but could be bad news should an asteroid ever threaten Earth.

When the NEAR-Shoemaker spacecraft landed on the asteroid Eros earlier this year, it provided an unprecedented view of these battered relics from the early Solar System. The next step is to find out what's inside.

Foreign material delivered as a giant impact can dominate large portions of icy dwarf planets, according to impact simulations. This scenario may explain the peculiar shape and location of the Sputnik Planitia region on Pluto, without the need for a present-day subsurface ocean.

The Earth co-orbital asteroid Kamo‘oalewa, which is a target of the Chinese Tianwen-2 mission, may have a lunar origin instead of an asteroidal one. Dynamical constraints from numerical simulations suggest that it could be an escaping fragment from the lunar Giordano Bruno crater.

The impact of the DART spacecraft on the asteroid Dimorphos is reported and reconstructed, demonstrating that kinetic impactor technology is a viable technique to potentially defend Earth from asteroids.

Asteroids, comets and moons are leftovers of planet formation. Studying them and their samples, including meteorites, can help us to learn how the Earth was made and acquired the ingredients for life, to obtain practical information for deflecting near-Earth objects (NEOs), and to access resources that would enable space habitats and voyages. Answers are hidden beneath their complex and evolving exteriors.

This study finds that the Moon accreted from an initially liquid-rich silicate disk and that rocky and icy exoplanets whose radii are smaller than 1.6 Earth radii are ideal candidates for hosting large exomoons.