Aug 01 2011

Asteroid Vesta Up Close: Photo

Tag: Asteroids,NASA — Irene Klotz @ 5:13 pm
NASA has unveiled the first close-up image of the asteroid Vesta, the second largest body in the main asteroid belt located between Mars and Jupiter.

Aug 01 2011

No ‘Second Sun’ Boosting Asteroid Impacts

Tag: Asteroids,Comets,Doomsday,Earth,Impact Craters,Meteorites,Mystery — Ian O'Neill @ 4:24 pm
The idea that there may be a stellar twin patrolling the outermost regions of the solar system, scattering Oort Cloud objects, may be the result of statistical error.

Jul 28 2011

Trojan Asteroid Discovered Stalking Earth

Tag: Asteroids,Infrared,NASA,Orbits,Spacecraft — Discovery News - Top Stories @ 1:37 pm
For the first time, an asteroid sharing Earth's orbit around the sun has been detected.

Jul 16 2011

Confirmed! Dawn is Orbiting Asteroid Vesta

Tag: Asteroid Vesta,Asteroids,Dwarf Planet Ceres,NASA,NASA Dawn Mission,Spacecraft — Ian O'Neill @ 3:49 pm
Late on Saturday, NASA received welcome news from the asteroid belt: the Dawn spacecraft had been successfully captured by Vesta's gravity.

Jun 29 2011

100 Years Ago, a Chunk of Mars Hit Egypt (and a Dog)

Tag: Asteroids,Current Events,History,History of Space,Impact Craters,Mars,Meteorites,Meteors — Ian O'Neill @ 12:11 am
On June 28, 1911, an explosion shook the Nakhla region of Alexandria in Egypt at 9 a.m. According to an eyewitness account, a dog perished in the resulting meteorite fall.

Jun 28 2011

Why I’m Sad Asteroid 2011 MD Missed Earth

Tag: Asteroids — Ian O'Neill @ 5:38 pm
Oddly, everyone seems relieved that asteroid 2011 MD sailed harmlessly by; I, on the other hand, wish it had hit us. Yes, really.

Jun 27 2011

First Photos of Incoming Asteroid 2011 MD

Tag: Asteroids,Astronomy,Current Events — Ian O'Neill @ 4:27 pm
As asteroid 2011 MD approaches, astronomers have been hard at work photographing the incoming space rock.

Jun 24 2011

When Asteroid ’2011 MD’ Zips Past Earth : Animation

Tag: Asteroids,Computer Simulation,Current Events — Ian O'Neill @ 10:40 pm
As these visualizations show, asteroid 2011 MD does battle with the Earth's gravitational field... and loses.

Jun 24 2011

INCOMING! Asteroid to Narrowly Miss Earth on Monday

Tag: Asteroids,Astronomy,Disaster Preparedness,Disaster Scenarios,Disasters and Accidents,Doomsday,Meteorites,Meteors,Natural Disasters — Mark Thompson @ 4:20 pm
Astronomer Mark Thompson reports on the large asteroid that will pass within 8,000 miles from Earth and why we were given such short notice.

Jun 20 2011

Hayabusa Asteroid Probe Awarded World Record

Tag: Asteroids,Current Events,JAXA,Solar System,Space Technology — Ian O'Neill @ 5:28 pm
A year after the mission came to an end, the Japanese Hayabusa mission is officially certified by Guinness World Records as the first spacecraft to return to Earth carrying material from an asteroid.
Next Page »