Frontiers in Astrophysics: Near-Earth Objects with Donald Yeomans
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As observers of a meteor that crashed in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region today can attest, near-earth objects that enter the earth’s atmosphere can wreak destruction. But these objects, which also include comets and asteroids, also provide clues to the solar system’s origins and could someday serve as stepping-stones to space exploration. In this podcast, Manager of NASA’s Near-Earth Objects program, Donald Yeomans, discusses the ongoing quest to find near-earth objects before they find us.
How Do Researchers Track Near-Earth Asteroids?
by AMNH on
Later today, an asteroid designated 2012 DA14 will pass just 17,200 miles over Earth’s surface. Although this 150-foot space rock will slip harmlessly by, researchers estimate there are nearly 500,000 near-Earth asteroids. So far, they’ve tracked the orbit of 9,600. How do researchers track asteroids, anyway? A Science Bulletins video explains more about the process, and more about the odds of an asteroid collision with Earth.
Meteor, Meteorite, Asteroid: What's the Difference?
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What's the difference between a meteor, a meteorite, and an asteroid? In the Museum's Arthur Ross Hall of Meteorites, curated by Denton S. Ebel, chair of the Division of Physical Sciences (Earth and Planetary Sciences), the differences are clearly explained.
Asteroid 2012 DA14's Friday Flyby
by AMNH on
Talk about an eventful Friday night! Tomorrow night, a small asteroid will travel nearer Earth than any astronomers have identified beforehand. “It’s the closest that we’ve seen ahead of time,” says Denton S. Ebel, curator in the Division of Physical Sciences (Earth and Planetary Sciences).
For more about the asteroid flyby, participate in a live Twitter chat with Ebel, this Friday, February 15, at noon ET. Post your questions here or use hashtag #asteroidchat on Twitter.
Artists' Techniques Rendered Habitat Dioramas Mesmerizingly Real
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The dioramas in the Jill and Lewis Bernard Family Hall of North American Mammals have always been splendid, but after more than a year of painstaking restoration, they look better than ever. A multi-video series documents their renovation. In these videos, Museum artists Stephen C. Quinn and Joianne Bittle Knight describe how the 3-D foregrounds and 2-D backgrounds of the dioramas were originally created.