Early risers along Florida’s Space Coast were treated to something unusual on Wednesday morning. As the first light of dawn crept over the Atlantic, a rocket streaked into the sky and left behind a glowing cloud that looked almost otherworldly. For a few minutes, the shape drifting across the sky resembled a giant jellyfish floating…

Asteroids regularly pass through Earth’s cosmic neighbourhood, and most of them never attract public attention. Every so often, though, a newly discovered space rock sparks curiosity among scientists and space enthusiasts. That was the case with asteroid 2024 YR4, an object first detected in late 2024. Early calculations suggested it might pass unusually close to…