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What are Comets and Asteroids? Do Comets Become Asteroids? narrated comet slideshow: Comets Through Time (requires Macromedia Flash) QuickTime/WinMedia videos: Killer Comets and Ominous Asteroids (slow-loading 19MB file) The Asteroid Paradox (slow-loading 18MB file) CSI: Comet/Asteroid Scene Investigation Jet Propulsion Laboratory efforts to detect and track asteroids and comets. What are meteors and meteorites? What is a meteoroid? What is a bolide? What is a megaton TNT? Meteorite Impacts Frequently Asked Questions The Threat to Earth from Asteroids and Comets Sizing Up the Asteroid Threat Asteroid and Comet Impact Hazards Earth Impact by an Asteroid Megatsunami, also known as Iminami, caused by impact The Torino Scale (revised 2005) Near-Earth Asteroids (NEA) Near-Earth Object (NEO) Threat NEO Information Centre Asteroid information from SEDS Asteroids or Volcanoes? Noah's Flood? Did a Comet Cause the Great Flood? 10 May 2807BC Bible Predictions Gamma-Ray Burst? Asteroids: Deadly Impact Impact Simulation interactive web site: Earth Impact Effects Cretaceous Extinction Dinosaurs Died Within Hours Chicxulub impact crater Permian Extinction Evidence for a Large Impact Proposed Companion Star to the Sun Cause of Mass Extinctions on Earth? Tagish Lake Meteor/Fireball: UWO site — NASA site Tunguska Event South American impacts Rio Curacá, Brasil (1930) Rupununi, Guyana (1935) Meteor Crater, Arizona Chesapeake Bay Impact Crater Terrestrial Impact Craters Crater Chains Earth Impact Database Meteor Crater Map fifty of Earth's most obvious meteor impact craters more than 160 impacts identified since 1960 Observed Meteor Impacts Types of Asteroids: Apohele — Apollo Amor — Aten Centaur — Cubewano Damocloid — Plutino Trojan — Vulcanoid What is the Yarkovsky Effect? What is the YORP Effect? Main-Belt Asteroids between Mars and Jupiter Kuiper Belt: comets & asteroids Oort Cloud of comets Comet images from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft. Small Comets Bring Water to Earth Frank-Sigwarth Theory Asteroid images from NASA Images from Space.com : Asteroids — Impact Craters — Comets Surviving a Comet or Asteroid Impact Current Impact Risk combined total impact probability for all listed objects over the next hundred years: one in 84 Dealing with the Impact Hazard Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) Comet/Asteroid Archive Recommended Reading and Videos for more information Please visit our sponsors:    Advertise on this Site |
• November 2008 The 95-meter asteroid 2008 VR4 has been discovered (more details later). Eventual impact probability is about one in 500,000 with an impact energy of 47 megatons TNT. The small asteroid 2008 VB4 was discovered on 6 November by the Mount Lemmon Survey two days after it had passed within 320,000 miles (520,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 3.2 million with an impact energy of 19,000 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2008 VM was discovered on 3 November by the Catalina Sky Survey at which time it was about 28,000 miles (46,000 km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 42,000 with an impact energy of 1,100 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2008 VL was discovered on 2 November by the Mount Lemmon Survey four days after it had passed within 60,000 miles (97,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 90,000 with an impact energy of 21,000 tons TNT. • October 2008 The small asteroid 2008 UA202 was discovered on 29 October by the Mount Lemmon Survey eleven days after it had passed within 210,000 miles (330,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 11,000 with an impact energy of 1700 tons TNT. The 60-meter asteroid 2008 UB7 was discovered on 26 October by LINEAR seven days before it passed 3.9 million miles (6.3 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 20,000 with an impact energy of 16 megatons TNT. The small asteroid 2008 UM1 was discovered on 22 October by the Mount Lemmon Survey at which time it was within 44,400 miles (71,400 km) of Earth. The small asteroid 2008 US was discovered on 21 October by the Mount Lemmon Survey one day after it had passed within 20,500 miles (33,000 km) of Earth. The 56-meter asteroid 2008 TT26 was discovered on 9 October by LINEAR fourteen days before it passed within 850,000 miles (1.36 million km) of Earth. The small asteroid 2008 TS26 was discovered on 9 October by the Mount Lemmon Survey at which time it was within 8,500 miles (14,000 km) of Earth. The small asteroid 2008 TS10 was discovered on 8 October by the Mount Lemmon Survey nine days after it had passed within 990,000 miles (1.6 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 48,000 with an impact energy of 5,200 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2008 TN9 was discovered on 8 October by the Mount Lemmon Survey five days after it had passed about 150,000 miles (250,000 km) from Earth. The small asteroid 2008 TC3 was discovered on 6 October by the Mount Lemmon Survey twenty hours before atmospheric impact over Africa. — full story (with discovery incorrectly attributed) The small asteroid 2008 TE was discovered on 1 October by the Mount Lemmon Survey six days after it had passed within 710,000 miles (1.14 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 31,000 with an impact energy of 41,000 tons TNT. • September 2008 The Association of Space Explorers has released a Call For Global Response [676KB PDF] by the United Nations to the NEO impact hazard. It contins a three-part Proposed Program for Action, the first part being Information Gathering, Analysis, and Warning, which is the focus of our own organisation. — full story The small asteroid 2008 SH148 was discovered on 29 September by the Mount Lemmon Survey five days before it passed within 1.35 million miles (2.2 million km) of Earth. The 53-meter asteroid 2008 ST7 was discovered on 24 September by the Mount Lemmon Survey seventeen days after it had passed within 550,000 miles (880,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 37,000 with an impact energy of 5.5 megatons TNT. The small asteroid 2008 ST1 was discovered on 22 September by LINEAR two days after it had passed within 360,000 miles (580,000 km) of Earth. The small asteroid 2008 ST was discovered on 22 September by the Mount Lemmon Survey six days before it passed within 950,000 miles (1.5 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 23,000 with an impact energy of 49,000 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2008 SA was discovered on 20 September by the Catalina Sky Survey three days before it passed within 570,000 miles (920,000 km) of Earth. Marshall Space Flight Center observed a significant outburst of bright meteors on 9 September, obtaining a video [17MB QuickTime] of the event. — full story The 98-meter asteroid 2008 RW24 was discovered on 6 September by the Catalina Sky Survey seventeen days before it passed within 1.22 million miles (1.96 million km) of Earth. • August 2008 The 76-meter asteroid 2008 PK9 was discovered on 8 August by the Siding Spring Survey three days before it passed 2.6 million miles (4.2 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 12 million with an impact energy of 73 megatons TNT. The 209-meter asteroid 2008 PG1 was discovered on 3 August by LINEAR. Eventual impact probability is about one in nine million with an impact energy of 270 megatons TNT. The 129-meter asteroid 2008 PF1 was discovered on 3 August by LINEAR twelve days before it passed within 4 million miles (6.4 million km) of Earth. • July 2008 Geological evidence found in Ohio and Indiana has strengthened the case to attribute what happened 12,900 years ago in North America -- when the end of the last Ice Age unexpectedly turned into a phase of extinction for animals and humans – to a cataclysmic comet or asteroid explosion in Canada. — full story (follow-up to "Extraterrestrial Impact Likely Source of Sudden Ice Age Extinctions" September 2007) The small asteroid 2008 OT7 was discovered on 30 July by the Siding Spring Survey one day after it had passed within 109,000 miles (175,000 km) of Earth. The small asteroid 2008 OO8 was discovered on 30 July by the Mount Lemmon Survey seven days after it had passed within 550,000 miles (883,000 km) of Earth. The small asteroid 2008 OY2 was discovered on 28 July by the Siding Spring Survey one day after it had passed about 700,000 miles (1.1 million km) of Earth. • June 2008 Planetary scientists at the University of California (Santa Cruz), Queen Mary University (London), and the California Institute of Technology have discovered evidence that a large asteroid impact could be the cause of some unusual features of Mars. This theory is supported by additional evidence from researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. — UCSC news release — CalTech news release — Nature journal article The small asteroid 2008 LG2 was discovered on 3 June by LINEAR ten days before it passed within 2.2 million miles (3.5 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 160,000 with an impact energy of 650,000 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2008 LD was discovered on 2 June by the Mount Lemmon Survey one day after it had passed within 270,000 miles (436,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 24,000 with an impact energy of 4,300 tons TNT. The 76-meter asteroid 2008 LA was discovered on 1 June by Spacewatch one month before it passed within 3.9 million miles (6.3 million km) of Earth. • May 2008 The first Asteroid Deflection Research Center has been established at Iowa State University, bringing researchers from around the world to develop asteroid-deflection technologies. — full story NASA has observed more than a hundred lunar impacts in thirty months. — full story The 76-meter asteroid 2008 KN11 was discovered on 30 May by the Mount Lemmon Survey three weeks before it passed within 2.1 million miles (3.4 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is one in 3.2 million with an impact energy of 22 megatons TNT. The 45-meter asteroid 2008 KO was discovered on 27 May by the Mount Lemmon Survey five days before it passed within 183,000 miles (294,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 455,000 with an impact energy of 16 megatons TNT. The small asteroid 2008 JL24 was discovered on 11 May by LINEAR one day after it had passed within 107,000 miles (172,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 1.7 million with an impact energy of 1,700 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2008 JL3 was discovered on 5 May by LINEAR five days after it had passed 1.2 million miles (2 million km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 8300 with an impact energy of 810,000 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2008 JQ was discovered on 2 May by LINEAR three days after it had passed within 1.7 million miles (2.7 million km) of Earth. • April 2008 The small asteroid 2008 HC38 was discovered at 0709 UT on 30 April by LINEAR two days after it had passed within 520,000 miles (840,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 21 million with an impact energy of 440,000 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2008 HU4 was discovered on 30 April by the Catalina Sky Survey three days after it had passed within 590,000 miles (946,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 17,000 with an impact energy of 9,500 tons TNT. The 295-meter asteroid 2008 HL was discovered on 25 April by the Mount Lemmon Survey. Eventual impact probability is about one in 213 million with an impact energy of 2,200 megatons TNT. The small asteroid 2008 HJ was discovered on 24 April by LINEAR five days before it passed within 670,000 miles (1.1 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 8,300 with an impact energy of 570,000 tons TNT. The 148-meter asteroid 2008 GW20 was discovered on 11 April by the Catalina Sky Survey seven days after it had passed 1.4 million miles from Earth. The small asteroid 2008 GM2 was discovered on 6 April by the Catalina Sky Survey three days after it had passed within 129,000 miles of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 59,000 with an impact energy of 8,900 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2008 GF1 was discovered on 5 April by the Mount Lemmon Survey two days before it passed within 183,000 miles (294,000 km) of Earth. • March 2008 Researchers at Bristol University have translated an ancient clay tablet which they say records a fireball and impact on 29 June 3123BC. — full story Scientists from the University of Aberdeen and the University of Oxford have found evidence of the biggest meteorite ever to hit the British Isles. — full story Former astronaut Rusty Schweickart discusses asteroid deflection in The Wall Street Journal, saying "You are looking at the world's expert in deflecting asteroids, and that is just inexcusable." — full story Astronomers at The University of Western Ontario have captured a rare video of a large fireball with an all-sky camera, launching a search for meteorites in the area of Parry Sound. — full story Peter Schultz (Brown University) presented the results of his on-site investigations of the Peruvian meteorite at the 39th annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in League City, Texas. — full story The 81-meter asteroid 2008 FF5 was discovered on 28 March by the Mount Lemmon Survey five days after it had passed within 7.1 million miles (11.4 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 2.8 million with an impact energy of 140 megatons TNT. The small asteroid 2008 FP was discovered on 28 March by the Mount Lemmon Survey one day before it passed within 114,000 miles (183,000 km) of Earth. The small asteroid 2008 FK was discovered on 27 March by Spacewatch four days after it had passed within 203,000 miles (326,000 km) of Earth. The small asteroid 2008 EZ84 was discovered on 12 March by the Catalina Sky Survey three days after it passed within 535,000 miles (861,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 34,000 with an impact energy of 240,000 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2008 EV84 was discovered on 11 March by LINEAR. Eventual impact probability is about one in 1.1 million with an impact energy of 1.1 megatons TNT. The small asteroid 2008 EF32 was discovered on 11 March by the Mount Lemmon Survey one day after it passed within 41,000 miles (66,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 14 million with an impact energy of 4,600 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2008 EM68 was discovered on 8 March by the Mount Lemmon Survey two days before it passed within 127,000 miles (204,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 59,000 with an impact energy of 52,000 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2008 EZ7 was discovered on 7 March by the Siding Spring Survey two days before it passed within 100,000 miles (160,000 km) of Earth. The small asteroid 2008 EA9 was discovered on 6 March by the Mount Lemmon Survey three days after it passed within 386,000 miles (621,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 40,000 with an impact energy of 18,000 tons TNT. The 320-meter asteroid 2008 ER7 was discovered on 6 March by Spacewatch. Eventual impact probability is about one in one million with an impact energy of 2,700 megatons TNT. The 59-meter asteroid 2008 EX5 was discovered on 4 March by the Mount Lemmon Survey twenty days after it passed within 5.2 million miles (8.4 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 167,000 with an impact energy of 7.3 megatons TNT. • February 2008 The 56-meter asteroid 2008 DA4 was discovered on 27 February by the Catalina Sky Survey twelve days after it passed 2.2 million miles (3.6 million km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 1.7 million with an impact energy of 6.9 megatons TNT. A total eclipse of the Moon was visible across most of the Americas on Wednesday 20 February at about 10PM Eastern (7PM Pacific). — full story The small asteroid 2008 DB was discovered on 18 February by the Catalina Sky Survey six days after it passed within 967,000 miles (1.6 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 18,000 with an impact energy of 420,000 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2008 CC71 was discovered on 9 February by the Mount Lemmon Survey thirteen days before it passed 3.3 million miles (5.4 million km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 10,000 with an impact energy of 1.4 megatons TNT. The small asteroid 2008 CK70 was discovered on 9 February by LINEAR, six days before passing 230 million miles (371 million km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 3,500 with an impact energy of 1.7 megatons TNT. The small asteroid 2008 CF22 was discovered on 9 February by the Catalina Sky Survey one day before it passed within 345,000 miles (555,000 km) of Earth. The small asteroid 2008 CB6 was discovered on 7 February by the Mount Lemmon Survey ten days before it passed 1.1 million miles (1.8 million km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 9,000 with an impact energy of 66,000 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2008 CT1 was discovered on 3 February by LINEAR two days before it passed 82,000 miles (133,000 km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 11,000 with an impact energy of 59,000 tons TNT. • January 2008 The 88-meter asteroid 2008 BO16 was discovered on 30 January by the Mount Lemmon Survey seven days after it had passed 10 million miles (16 million km) from Earth. The small asteroid 2008 BC15 was discovered on 30 January by the Catalina Sky Survey one day before it passed within 184,000 miles (296,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 714,000 with an impact energy of 380,000 tons TNT. The 250-meter asteroid 2007 TU24 discovered on 11 October 2007 by the Catalina Sky Survey passed within 345,000 miles (554,000 km) of Earth on 29 January. — full story The small asteroid 2008 BW2 was discovered on 19 January by the Mount Lemmon Survey three days after it had passed within 222,000 miles (357,000 km) of Earth. The 310-meter asteroid 2008 AO112 was discovered on 12 January by the Mount Lemmon Survey. Eventual impact probability is about one in 2.6 million with an impact energy of 650 megatons TNT. The 390-meter asteroid 2008 AF4 was discovered on 10 January by LINEAR. Eventual impact probability is about one in 910,000 with an impact energy of 2,600 megatons TNT. The small asteroid 2008 AF3 was discovered on 10 January by the Catalina Sky Survey three days before it passed within 234,000 miles (376,000 km) of Earth. 84 Potentially Hazardous Asteroids discovered in 2007 Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHA) are defined as those with orbits within 4.65 million miles (7.5 million km) of Earth's orbit. Eighty-four more PHA were discovered in 2007, bringing the total to 909 known Potentially Hazardous Asteroids, more than three times those known in 2000. — full list • December 2007 The small asteroid 2007 YS56 was discovered on 31 December by the the Catalina Sky Survey six days after it had passed within 268,000 miles (431,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 14 million with an impact energy of 420,000 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2007 YP56 was discovered on 30 December by LINEAR three days after it had passed 128,000 miles (207,000 km) from Earth. The small asteroid 2007 YN1 was discovered on 18 December by Spacewatch three days after it had passed within 240,000 miles (390,000 km) of Earth. The small asteroid 2007 YM was discovered on 17 December by the Catalina Sky Survey three days after it had passed 1.3 million miles (2.1 million km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 260,000 with an impact energy of 250,000 tons TNT. On 16 December the hazard of impact by asteroid 2007 VK184 in AD2048 was upgraded by the Near Earth Objects Dynamic Site to Torino Scale 1. The small asteroid 2007 XB23 was discovered on 14 December by the Siding Spring Survey one day after it had passed within 62,000 miles (100,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 1.5 million with an impact energy of 52,000 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2007 XZ9 was discovered on 4 December by LINEAR three days after it had passed 1.9 million miles (3.1 million km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 600,000 with an impact energy of 2.4 megatons TNT. • November 2007 The US House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics examined the NASA Near-Earth Object (NEO) survey program, reviewed the findings and recommendations of NASA's report to Congress, and sought to assess NASA's plans for complying with the NASA Authorization Act of 2005 regarding NEOs. — full story The small asteroid 2007 WD5 was discovered on 20 November by the Mount Lemmon Survey 19 days after it had passed within 4.4 million miles (7.1 million km) of Earth. 2007 WD5 subsequently passed within 36,000 miles (22,000 km) of Mars on 30 January. — full story The small asteroid 2007 WC5 was discovered on 20 November by the Mount Lemmon Survey six days after it had passed within 1.8 million miles (2.8 million km) of Earth. The 51-meter asteroid 2007 WT3 was discovered on 18 November by the Mount Lemmon Survey eight days after it had passed within 860,000 miles (1.4 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 14 million with an impact energy of 11 megatons TNT. The 66-meter asteroid 2007 WP3 was discovered on 18 November by the Catalina Sky Survey one day after it had passed within 1.2 million miles (1.8 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 185,000 with an impact energy of 14 megatons TNT. The small asteroid 2007 WJ3 was discovered on 16 November by LINEAR two days after it had passed within 750,000 miles (1.2 million km) of Earth. The 130-meter asteroid 2007 VN243 was discovered on 15 November by the Mount Lemmon Survey seven weeks before it passed within 7.9 million miles (12.7 million km) of Earth. The 62-meter asteroid 2007 VE191 was discovered on 15 November by the Mount Lemmon Survey thirteen days before it passed within 1.3 million miles (2 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is less than one in 30 million with an impact energy of 17 megatons TNT. The 73-meter asteroid 2007 VH189 was discovered on 14 November by the Mount Lemmon Survey eighteen days after it had passed 6.4 million miles (10.3 million km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 3 million with an impact energy of 30 megatons TNT. The 130-meter asteroid 2007 VK184 was discovered on 12 November by the Catalina Sky Survey. Eventual impact probability is more than one in 3,000 with an impact energy of 150 megatons TNT. The small asteroid 2007 VE138 was discovered on 11 November by the Catalina Sky Survey three days before it passed within 730,000 miles (1.2 million km) of Earth. The small asteroid 2007 VX83 was discovered on 7 November by the Mount Lemmon Survey three days before passing about 700,000 miles (1.1 million km) from Earth. The small asteroid 2007 VE8 was discovered on 5 November by the Mount Lemmon Survey. Eventual impact probability is about one in 56,000 with an impact energy of 710,000 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2007 VD8 was discovered on 5 November by the Mount Lemmon Survey five days before passing within 1.3 million miles (2.1 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 3 million with an impact energy of 43,000 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2007 VL3 was discovered on 3 November by LINEAR five days after it had passed about 700,000 miles (1.1 million km) from Earth. The small asteroid 2007 VJ3 was discovered on 2 November by the Catalina Sky Survey five days after it had passed 1.1 million miles (1.8 million km) from Earth. • October 2007 Five undergraduate astronomy students at the University of Washington have discovered more than 1,300 asteroids that had never before been observed. — full story Russian Space Agency chief Anatoly Perminov has announced plans to develop a space system that could protect Earth from asteroid impact by the year 2040. — full story The small asteroid 2007 US51 was discovered on 31 October by the Catalina Sky Survey one day after it had passed within 140,000 miles (225,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 435,000 with an impact energy of 110,000 tons TNT. Comet 17P/Holmes shocked astronomers on 24 October with a spectacular eruption that greatly increased its brightness. — photo gallery — Hubble images The small asteroid 2007 UN12 was discovered on 21 October by the Catalina Sky Survey four days after it had passed 43,000 miles (67,000 km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 5,000 with an impact energy of 4,600 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2007 UO6 was discovered on 21 October by Spacewatch, four days after it had passed within 230,000 miles (370,000 km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 59,000 with an impact energy of 65,000 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2007 UD6 was discovered on 20 October by the Catalina Sky Survey two days after it had passed within 120,000 miles (192,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 9,000 with an impact energy of 9,600 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2007 UT3 was discovered on 19 October by LINEAR, five days before it passed within 1.3 million miles (2 million km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 130,000 with an impact energy of 500,000 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2007 UY1 was discovered on 18 October by the Catalina Sky Survey four days before it passed within 3.2 million miles (5.1 million km) of Earth. The 99-meter asteroid 2007 UW1 was discovered on 17 October by LONEOS fifteen days after it had passed within 4.2 million miles (6.7 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 13,000 with an impact energy of 22 megatons TNT. The small asteroid 2007 US was discovered on 16 October by the Mount Lemmon Survey. Eventual impact probability is about one in 220 million with an impact energy of 10 megatons TNT. The small asteroid 2007 TH72 was discovered on 15 October by LINEAR, five days after it had passed 743,000 miles (1.2 million km) from Earth. The 323-meter asteroid 2007 TU24 was discovered on 11 October by the Catalina Sky Survey 110 days before it passed within 345,000 miles (554,000 km) of Earth. The small asteroid 2007 TW24 was discovered on 11 October by the Mount Lemmon Survey seven days before it passed within 710,000 miles (1.1 million km) from Earth. The small asteroid 2007 TX22 was discovered on 11 October by the Catalina Sky Survey one day before it passed within 90,000 miles (145,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 45,000 with an impact energy of 12,000 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2007 TV18 was discovered on 9 October by the Mount Lemmon Survey thirteen days after it had passed 6.4 million miles (10 million km) from Earth. The small asteroid 2007 TL16 was discovered on 9 October by the Catalina Sky Survey four days after it had passed within 388,000 miles (624,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 164,000 with an impact energy of 300,000 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2007 TL15 was discovered on 8 October by the Mount Lemmon Survey fifteen days after it had passed 6.2 million miles (10 million km) from Earth. The 130-meter asteroid 2007 TC14 was discovered on 8 October by the Catalina Sky Survey. Eventual impact probability is about one in 8 million with an impact energy of 260 megatons TNT. • September 2007 The NASA Dawn spacecraft has been launched on its journey to explore the two largest main-belt asteroids Vesta in 2011 and Ceres in 2015. — full story More information is emerging to support the theory that an asteroid/comet impact 12,900 years ago led to the extinction of Pleistocene megafauna. — full story (follow-up to "Comet May Have Exploded Over North America" August 2007) Main-belt asteroid breakup is thought to be the likely source of the Chicxulub impactor that caused the Cretaceous extinction 65 million years ago. — full story The new lunar impact telescope at Walker County Observatory in Georgia has recorded its first lunar impact. — full story The small asteroid 2007 SN6 was discovered on 19 September by LINEAR, three days after it had passed 1.2 million miles (1.9 million km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 7.1 million with an impact energy of 2.8 megatons TNT. A meteorite that impacted on 15 September in the Desaguadero region of Peru, near the border with Bolivia, has been blamed for a wave of illness in the village of Carancas. — full story — photo1 — photo2 The 110-meter asteroid 2007 RY19 was discovered on 14 September by LINEAR, nine days before it passed within 6.8 million miles (11 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 15,000 with an impact energy of 45 megatons TNT. Witnesses observed an "exremely bright" fireball pass over New Mexico at 3AM on 13 September. There is a 19-second MPEG movie [3.4MB] and a 5-second GiF animation [190KB] and a 519x382 pixel JPG image [32KB] of the event. — full story The 390-meter asteroid 2007 RT9 was discovered on 10 September by the Mount Lemmon Survey. Eventual impact probability is about one in 300 million with an impact energy of 2,000 megatons TNT. The small asteroid 2007 RS1 was discovered by the Great Shefford Observatory on 4 September one day before it passed within 46,000 miles (74,000 km) of Earth. The small asteroid 2007 RJ1 was discovered on 3 September by the Mount Lemmon Survey thirteen days before it passed within 600,000 miles (960,000 km) of Earth. The widely-held idea that Jupiter shields Earth from asteroids and comets has been challenged by the results of a new study from a research team led by Jonathan Horner at The Open University. — full story A rare meteor shower of debris from long-period Comet Keiss was visible from the Pacific coast of North America early in the morning of Saturday 1 September. — full story • August 2007 A large comet may have exploded over North America 12,900 years ago, leading to an abrupt cooling of much of the planet and the extinction of large mammals. — full story (follow-up to "Clovis-age Impact Theory" May 2007) • July 2007 The small asteroid 2007 OH3 was discovered by LINEAR on 20 July, three hours after it had passed 3 million miles (5 million km) from Earth. News Archive Click here for archived articles. Advertise on this Site |
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