Firing paintballs at an asteroid to prevent it from hitting the Earth.
Firing paintballs at an asteroid to prevent it from hitting the Earth.
Tag: asteroids
The rock found on Sunday is not part of the meteor that fell over San Francisco last week.
False alarm: The rock found on Sunday is not part of the meteor that fell over San Francisco last week.
The first piece of a meteor that fell over San Francisco on Wednesday has been found.
The first piece of a meteor that fell over San Francisco on Wednesday has been found.
The 2.2-ounce meteorite hit the roof of Rev. Kent and Lisa Webber on St. Francis Avenue on Thursday night, but they didn’t realize at the time what it was, according to Novato Patch.
The science team for New Horizons is considering shifting the spacecraft’s Pluto flyby away from the planet to avoid orbital debris.
The science team for New Horizons is considering shifting the spacecraft’s Pluto flyby away from the planet to avoid orbital debris.
“We’ve found more and more moons orbiting near Pluto — the count is now up to five,” Stern said. “And we’ve come to appreciate that those moons, as well as others not yet discovered, act as debris generators populating the Pluto system with shards from collisions between those moons and small Kuiper Belt objects.”
Telescopes of the future
Two stories were published on Thursday about two very different future space telescopes. Both are worthwhile, but the differences between them illustrate how the industry of space astronomy — like manned space — is evolving from Big Science and government to small, efficient, and privately built.
First there is this story describing how the nonprofit B612 Foundation’s project to launch an infrared telescope by 2017 had passed its first technical review.
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Scientists studying a meteorite thought to come from the asteroid Vesta have concluded that it contains evidence that the asteroid once had a magnetic field.
Scientists studying a meteorite thought to come from the asteroid Vesta have concluded that it contains evidence that the asteroid once had a magnetic field.
This appears to be a very tentative finding, intriguing and possible, but not yet strongly proven.
Deep Impact fired its engines today to adjust its orbit, giving it the option of visiting a near Earth asteroid in the future.
Deep Impact fired its engines today to adjust its orbit, giving it the option of visiting a near Earth asteroid in the future.
The press release is very vague about this future mission. I suspect there is a question of funding, which means that even if they can go to the asteroid, they might not have the funds to staff the mission.
The troughs of Vesta: evidence of a failed planet.
Newly released results from Dawn have found evidence of hydrogen on the surface of Vesta
Newly released results from Dawn have found evidence of hydrogen on the surface of Vesta, which also suggests that the asteroid once had water. More here.
The article focuses on the possibility that the hydrogen originally came from ice placed there by icy asteroids. While likely, this remains only one possible explanation.
Amateurs astronomers have once again captured images of an impact of something on Jupiter.
Amateurs astronomers have once again captured images of a major impact of something on Jupiter.
The view of Vesta in Dawn’s rear view mirror.
The view of Vesta in Dawn’s rear view mirror.
Engineers have now confirmed that Dawn has left the gravitational sphere of Vesta and is officially on its way to Ceres.
Engineers have now confirmed that Dawn has left the gravitational sphere of Vesta and is officially on its way to Ceres.