Mars is a weirdo. (Well, as far as planets go). Why is it so small (just 11% as massive as Earth)?

I once ordered a beer then straight away spilled it all over the bar. There was just a tiny sip left in the glass. Frowny face.

Remember ‘Oumuamua, the weird-shaped rock flying through the Solar System? Just like my sip of beer, it might only be a small piece of what it once was.

In Rendezvous with Rama (by Arthur C. Clarke), a mysterious object is discovered passing through the Solar System.  The object has a strange shape — it’s a giant cylinder.  It was discovered by the Spaceguard survey, designed to find objects that might impact Earth (so-called near-Earth objects).  Spoiler alert: the cylinder is a spaceship sent…

The asteroids may be cosmic refugees, ejected from their homes to wander the Solar System, eventually settling in the asteroid belt.

Imagine a dry Earth. No waterfalls. No oceans. No beer (or people to drink it).  A sad place. Water is pretty important stuff.  In this post we will go deep into how Earth got its water (much deeper than in this post from a while back).  And since it’s connected with how Earth formed, our…

At a Solar System party, in a room full of planets, the asteroid belt is full of angst. And it should be. It’s out of place. It’s wearing a clown outfit but it’s not a costume party. What makes the asteroid belt so different? Well, for one, it’s not just one object like each individual…