I am titled Melissa.
I've seen 20 revolutions around the sun.
Science + SciFi + Art
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Aspiring amateur astronomer.
Science enthusiast.
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This is what I post.
This is what I look like.
01/24/12
* What I post does not belong to me, unless otherwise stated, obviously. Please don't remove the credit when reblogging.
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Asteroid Vesta photos reveal strange shiny spots on surface
The space rock’s highly unusual features appear to be from original material left over from the asteroid’s birth 4 billion years ago.
Big Asteroid 2011 AG5 Could Pose Threat to Earth in 2040
Imaged Above: An artist’s illustration of asteroids, or near-Earth objects, that highlight the need for a complete Space Situational Awareness system. CREDIT: ESA - P.Carril
Scientists are keeping a close eye on a big asteroid that may pose an impact threat to Earth in a few decades.
The space rock, which is called 2011 AG5, is about 460 feet (140 meters) wide. It may come close enough to Earth in 2040 that some researchers are calling for a discussion about how to deflect it.
Talk about the asteroid was on the agenda during the 49th session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), held earlier this month in Vienna.
A UN Action Team on near-Earth objects (NEOs) noted the asteroid’s repeat approaches to Earth and the possibility — however remote — that 2011 AG5 might smack into our planet 28 years from now.
Bus-Size Asteroid to Give Earth Close Shave Friday
On Friday, a small asteroid will make an extremely close pass by Earth. The rock is about 36 feet, will pass the planet within 1/5 the distance between the Earth and the Moon (pose no threat to the planet).
According to spaceweather.com, advanced amateur astronomers might be able to observe the flyby as the asteroid brightens to 14th magnitude! Have fun! :D
Earth is really tiny.
Acutally our sun is really tiny too.
Also our galaxy…
Always good to share this.
An artist’s conception of an impact event on asteroid Pallas. This artwork was created using the three-dimensional shape model published by Britney Schmidt, et al. in Science.
Credit: UCLA, B. E. Schmidt and S. C. Radcliffe.
Asteroids make lousy space weapons
Asteroids normally approach Earth every 200 to 300 years, making them difficult to use as a weapon.
Origin of Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Remains a Mystery
Observations from NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission indicate the family of asteroids some believed was responsible for the demise of the dinosaurs is not likely the culprit, keeping open the case on one of Earth’s greatest mysteries.
While scientists are confident a large asteroid crashed into Earth approximately 65 million years ago, leading to the extinction of dinosaurs and some other life forms on our planet, they do not know exactly where the asteroid came from or how it made its way to Earth. A 2007 study using visible-light data from ground-based telescopes first suggested the remnant of a huge asteroid, known as Baptistina, as a possible suspect.
