Why doesn’t Earth have Trojan asteroids of its own? Large impacts in the early years of the solar system may be to blame. The post Where Did Earth’s Trojans Go? Ask the Moon appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreTag: near-Earth objects
Amateur Astronomers Team Up to Measure Distance to a Close-passing Asteroid
A small group of amateurs teamed up to measure the parallax, and thus the distance, to a near-Earth asteroid as it passed by our planet. The post Amateur Astronomers Team Up to Measure Distance to a Close-passing Asteroid appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreWatch an Asteroid Race Across the Sky
The kilometer-wide, potentially hazardous asteroid 1994 PC1 will fly past Earth on January 18th. Good news on two counts: It won’t hit us, and it’s bright enough to see in a 4-inch telescope. The post Watch an Asteroid Race Across the Sky appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreHow Often Do Chicxulub-level Asteroids Hit Earth?
Asteroids of different sizes crashing on Earth originated from different parts of the main asteroid belt, researchers say; the finding has implications for how often such collisions happen. The post How Often Do Chicxulub-level Asteroids Hit Earth? appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreKarma Asteroid Family Might Be Sending Members Near Earth
New simulations have identified the Karma family of asteroids in the main belt as a potential source of near-Earth asteroids. The post Karma Asteroid Family Might Be Sending Members Near Earth appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read More