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.

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.

Meteorites that fell from an asteroid impact that lit up the skies over California and Nevada in April are showing scientists just how complex an asteroid surface can be. A new study published in Science this week by an international research team, including scientists from the Museum, reports that this space rock is an unusual example from a rare group known as carbonaceous chondrites, which contain some of the oldest material in the solar system.