The Orbit of Asteroid 1994 PC1

Sophia Jane Balkoski, Laksh Bhasin, Milly KeQi Wang Near-Earth Asteroids can be hazardous to the Earth, due to their orbital characteristics and proximity to inner Solar System planets. Using three sets of CCD images collected in June and July 2011, the orbital elements of asteroid 1994 PC1 were determined at solar opposition. The body’s specific… [Read more…]

NASA Dawn Spacecraft Returns Close-Up Image of Asteroid Vesta

NASA’s Dawn spacecraft has returned the first close-up image after beginning its orbit around the giant asteroid Vesta. On Friday, July 15, Dawn became the first probe to enter orbit around an object in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The image taken for navigation purposes shows Vesta in greater detail than ever… [Read more…]

Asteroid Bound: Animated Look at NASA’s New Mission

NASA Spacecraft to Enter Asteroid’s Orbit on July 15

On July 15, NASA’s Dawn spacecraft will begin a prolonged encounter with the asteroid Vesta, making the mission the first to enter orbit around a main-belt asteroid. The main asteroid belt lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Dawn will study Vesta for one year, and observations will help scientists understand the earliest chapter… [Read more…]

Join NASA in Measuring an Asteroid

On the evening of July 3 at 11:05:30 p.m. EDT — at a distance of 280 millon miles into space that poses no threat to Earth – 52 Europa will pass in front of star TYC 0292-00339-1 in the constellation Virgo. The asteroid will eclipse the star’s light for 17.9 seconds in a process known as occultation. Here… [Read more…]

Video: Asteroid 2011 MD – Earth Flyby

Asteroid 2011 MD imaged by Peter Birtwhistle (Galaxy Picture Library)- www.skymania.com A newly discovered (on 22nd June 2011) asteroid called “ASTEROID 2011 MD” will pass by earth at a distance of 17700 km on 27th June,2011 at 13.56 UTC (6.56 IST).Size of asteroid is expected to be 9 to 45 meters.There is no danger to earth.… [Read more…]

Vesta’s Surface Comes into View

Play video  This movie shows surface details beginning to resolve as NASA’s Dawn spacecraft closes in on the giant asteroid Vesta. The framing camera aboard NASA’s Dawn spacecraft obtained the images used for this animation on June 1, 2011, from a distance of about 300,000 miles (483,000 kilometers). Vesta’s jagged shape, sculpted by eons of… [Read more…]

How Jupiter robbed Mars of mass and built the asteroid belt as the planets formed our solar system billions of years ago

Scientists have long puzzled over why Mars is only about half the size and one-tenth the mass of Earth. As next-door neighbors in the solar system formed about the same time, they might be expected to be more similar – by rights, Mars should be as big as Earth and Venus But a paper published… [Read more…]

Cosmic collision

Nasa monitors unusually bright asteroid after 11,000mph impact  Collision: Faint dust plumes bookend asteroid Scheila in this composite taken by Nasa’s Swift satellite on December 15 last year when it was 232million miles from Earth An unexpectedly bright asteroid that sported short-lived plumes had collided with a smaller body, scientists have said. The aftermath of… [Read more…]