NASA’s asteroid-sampling mission will bid farewell to asteroid Bennu today

Good News Notes: “After more than two years circling a lumpy space rock called Bennu, it’s finally time for NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to head back to Earth with a full load precious cargo: pieces of an asteroid. OSIRIS-REx (known formally as Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer) collected asteroid samples from Bennu in October. Now…

Planet 9 discovery gets closer as astronomers discover 139 ‘minor planets’ past Neptune

 Good News Notes: “Astronomers are getting closer to discovering the elusive and mysterious Planet Nine after 139 ‘minor planets‘ were discovered past Neptune’s orbit. These objects, ones “that were not previously published,” are not officially planets or comets, but rather space objects that orbit the Sun. In total, the discovery is five percent of the trans-Neptunian object…