About 20% of asteroids have moons, with some having more than one. Five asteroids in the asteroid belt have two moons, including 93 Minerva, 87 Sylvia, and 45 Eugenia. Researchers can use moon information to learn more about the asteroid, except for 93 Minerva, which is much denser. The first asteroid moon discovered was Dactyl, […]
Asteroid Florence will pass close to Earth on Sept. 1 at a safe distance of 4.4 million miles. It will be visible to enthusiasts in small telescopes and won’t get that close again until about the year 2500. It is the largest asteroid to pass this close since NASA’s program began. Now that you’ve recovered […]
NASA warns that the planet is vulnerable to asteroid impacts and that humanity is not doing enough to defend itself. A single asteroid could destroy an entire US state. NASA is asking for more international assistance in creating a system to track and characterize space objects. Sci-fi movies love to scare audiences with scary threats […]
Around 50,000 tons of debris enter Earth’s atmosphere each year, but most disintegrate before impact. NASA predicts a large asteroid impact every 100 years, with most being small and causing no damage. The largest asteroid is Ceres, and asteroids may be leftover material from the solar system’s formation. 10 spacecraft have orbited or landed on […]
NASA warns of 4,700 potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs) in Earth’s solar system that could cause serious damage if they collide with the planet. Only 20-30% of PHAs have been located. No one has been killed by an impact event, but PHAs could jeopardize space missions. According to the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), […]
Asteroids are classified into three categories: C-type, S-type, and L-type/X-type. The asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter contains more densities of asteroids than anywhere else in the solar system. Comets are made of organic compounds and reflect only 3-5% of incoming light. The high carbon content of asteroids and comets could be useful for future […]
The largest asteroids in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter are Ceres, Vesta, and Pallas. If all non-satellite objects in the solar system are included, the largest are Eris, Pluto, and Ceres. An asteroid larger than 12 miles in diameter could kill all complex life on Earth. The Moon is thought to have been […]
