Animation of Asteroids Passing Near Earth
Explanation:
How often does an asteroid whiz by the Earth?
The
above
time-lapse animation follows the orbit of the
Earth around the Sun for two months in 2002 as numerous
asteroids,
also known as
minor planets,
approach and pass by.
Some asteroids
appear out of nowhere
as they are plotted only when they were discovered.
Most asteroids plotted were
discovered only during the previous year.
Although none of the plotted objects came inside the orbit of our Moon, our Solar
System is
filled with objects as small as bits of sand, usually
left by a comet, that appear as meteors as they streak into the Earth's atmosphere
every day.
The only objects displayed are those visible from
Earth closer than 20 million kilometers,
color coded by three-dimensional distance.
In comparison, the Earth is a relatively
small target having a radius of about 6,400 kilometers.
One
significant research area
in modern astronomy involves trying to find the
majority of asteroids that could pose a
future collision threat with Earth.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
