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What are Comets and Asteroids?

Do Comets Become Asteroids?

narrated comet slideshow:
Comets Through Time
(requires a Flash Media Player)

QuickTime/WinMedia videos:
Killer Comets and Ominous Asteroids
(slow-loading 19MB file)
The Asteroid Paradox
(slow-loading 18MB file)
Comet/Asteroid Investigation
Jet Propulsion Laboratory efforts
to track asteroids and comets.

Large Impact Simulation
(requires Macromedia Flash)

What are meteors and meteorites?

What is a meteoroid?

What is a bolide?

What is a megaton TNT?

Meteorite Impacts

Frequently Asked Questions

Earth's atmosphere

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?

National Geographic:
Asteroids and Comets

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

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

Survive a Collision with an Asteroid

What To Do Before the Asteroid Strikes

Current Impact Risk
combined total impact probability
for all listed objects over the next
hundred years: one in 67

Dealing with the Impact Hazard

Keeping an Eye on Space Rocks

Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST)

Comet/Asteroid Archive

Recommended Reading and
Videos for more information

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• August 2010
The small asteroid 2010 QG2 was discovered on 31 August by LINEAR three days before it passed within 1.1 million miles (1.75 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 28,000 with an impact energy of 5.7 megatons TNT.

The small asteroid 2010 PS65 was discovered on 13 August by LINEAR. Eventual impact probability is about one in 170,000 with an impact energy of 2.2 megatons TNT.

• July 2010
Research published in the journal "Astronomy & Astrophysics" of data from the Herschel spacecraft indicates a cometary impact on the planet Neptune about 200 years ago. — full story

The small asteroid 2010 NN was discovered on 6 July by the Mount Lemmon Survey three days after it had passed 326,000 miles (525,000 km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 37,000 with an impact energy of 11,000 tons TNT.

The small asteroid 2010 NH was discovered on 4 July by the Mount Lemmon Survey four days after it had passed 624,000 miles (1 million km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 590,000 with an impact energy of 630,000 tons TNT.

• June 2010
The 220-meter asteroid 2010 MU112 was discovered on 30 June by WISE. Eventual impact probability is about one in 26 million with an impact energy of 1,600 megatons TNT.

The small asteroid 2010 MZ112 was discovered on 23 June by WISE. Eventual impact probability is about one in 500,000 with an impact energy of 1.5 megatons TNT.

The 250-meter asteroid 2010 MY112 was discovered on 23 June by WISE. Eventual impact probability is about one in 31 million with an impact energy of 1,700 megatons TNT.

A large fireball was observed on Jupiter on 3 June by Anthony Wesley, who first observed the 2009 impact. — full story

• May 2010
The small asteroid 2010 JH80 was discovered on 13 May by the Mount Lemmon Survey. Eventual impact probability is about one in 476,000 with an impact energy of 1 megaton TNT.

• April 2010
The 75-meter asteroid 2010 HS20 was discovered on 20 April by the Mount Lemmon Survey fifteen days before it passed within 7.2 million miles (11.5 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 159,000 with an impact energy of 14 megatons TNT.

The small asteroid 2010 HP20 was discovered on 20 April by the Mount Lemmon Survey two days after it had passed within 149,000 miles (239,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 20,000 with an impact energy of 13,000 tons TNT.

A brilliant fireball was seen over the Midwest on 14 April by thousands of residents from Missouri to Wisconsin. — full story — video — video

The small asteroid 2010 GM23 was discovered on 8 April by the Catalina Sky Survey five days before it passed within 820,000 miles (1.3 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 77,000 with an impact energy of 3.1 megatons TNT.

• February 2010
The small asteroid 2010 DG77 was discovered on 19 February by WISE four weeks after it had passed 3.6 million miles (5.8 million km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 50,000 with an impact energy of 2 megatons TNT.

The small asteroid 2010 CS19 was discovered on 15 February by the Catalina Sky Survey two days after it had passed 446,000 miles (718,000 km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 27,000 with an impact energy of 16,000 tons TNT.

The 370-meter asteroid 2010 CR5 was discovered on 9 February by the Mount Lemmon Survey. Eventual impact probability is about one in 37 million with an impact energy of 5,100 megatons TNT.

The small asteroid 2010 CA was discovered on 5 February by the Catalina Sky Survey eight days before it passed within 3.7 million miles (6 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 210,000 with an impact energy of 4.2 megatons TNT.

• January 2010
The small asteroid 2010 BU2 was discovered on 21 January by LINEAR six days before it passed within 1.6 million miles (2.5 million km) from Earth.

The 890-meter asteroid 2010 AU118 was discovered on 13 January by WISE. Eventual impact probability is about one in 59 million with an impact energy of 88,000 megatons TNT.

The small asteroid 2010 AF40 was discovered on 12 January by the Mount Lemmon Survey nine days before it passed within 555,000 miles (893,000 km) of Earth.

The small asteroid 2010 AL30 was discovered on 10 January by LINEAR three days before it passed 80,000 miles (129,000 km) from Earth.

The 1100-meter asteroid 2010 AR85 was discovered on 7 January by WISE. Eventual impact probability is about one in 53 million with an impact energy of 260,000 megatons TNT.

The unusual main-belt Comet P/2010 A2 was discovered on 6 January by LINEAR. — full story

81 Potentially Hazardous Asteroids discovered in 2009
Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHA) are defined as those with orbits within 4.65 million miles (7.5 million km) of Earth's orbit. Eighty-one more PHA were discovered in 2009, bringing the total to 1083 known Potentially Hazardous Asteroids, nearly double those known in 2003. — full list

• December 2009
The small asteroid 2009 YS was discovered on 19 December by the Catalina Sky Survey seven days after it had passed within 350,000 miles (562,000 km) of Earth.

The small asteroid 2009 YR was discovered on 19 December by the Mount Lemmon Survey six days before it passed 1 million miles (1.6 million km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 100,000 with an impact energy of 13,000 tons TNT.

The 270-meter asteroid 2009 XO was discovered on 9 December by the La Sagra Sky Survey. Eventual impact probability is about one in 3.3 million with an impact energy of 830 megatons TNT.

• November 2009
The small asteroid 2009 WR52 was discovered on 23 November by the Mount Lemmon Survey six days after it had passed 800,000 miles (1.3 million km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 7,700 with an impact energy of 9,800 tons TNT.

The small asteroid 2009 WQ52 was discovered on 23 November by the Mount Lemmon Survey four days before it passed within 790,000 miles (1.3 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 2.7 million with an impact energy of 26,000 tons TNT.

The small asteroid 2009 WV51 was discovered on 23 November by the Catalina Sky Survey one day before it passed within 93,600 miles (150,000 km) of Earth.

The 55-meter asteroid 2009 WQ25 was discovered on 21 November by the Mount Lemmon Survey thirteen days after it had passed 2.75 million miles (4.43 million km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 13 million with an impact energy of 11 megatons TNT.

The small asteroid 2009 WW7 was discovered on 19 November by the Mount Lemmon Survey two days before it passed within 418,000 miles (673,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 43,000 with an impact energy of 5,500 tons TNT.

The small asteroid 2009 WJ6 was discovered on 19 November by the Catalina Sky Survey one day before it passed 110,000 miles (177,000 km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 24 million with an impact energy of 75,000 tons TNT.

The small asteroid 2009 WP6 was discovered on 18 November by the Mount Lemmon Survey three days before it passed within 164,000 miles (263,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 29,000 with an impact energy of 410,000 tons TNT.

The 280-meter asteroid 2009 WM1 was discovered on 17 November by the Catalina Sky Survey. Eventual impact probability is about one in 11 million with an impact energy of 1,100 megatons TNT.

The small asteroid 2009 VT1 was discovered on 10 November by the Mount Lemmon Survey one day after it had passed within 334,000 miles (538,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 435,000 with an impact energy of 2,000 tons TNT.

The small asteroid 2009 VX was discovered on 9 November by the Catalina Sky Survey three days before it passed within 612,000 miles (985,000 km) of Earth.

The small asteroid 2009 VA was discovered on 6 November by the Catalina Sky Survey at which time it was 12,600 miles (20,400 km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 30,000 with an impact energy of 8,300 tons TNT.

• October 2009
The small asteroid 2009 TM8 was discovered on 15 October by the Catalina Sky Survey two days before it passed 215,000 miles (347,000 km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 15,000 with an impact energy of 8,500 tons TNT.

The small asteroid 2009 TH8 was discovered on 14 October by the Siding Spring Survey five days before it passed within 1.1 million miles (1.7 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 110,000 with an impact energy of 2.2 megatons TNT.

The small asteroid 2009 TU was discovered on 10 October by the Catalina Sky Survey two days after it had passed 189,000 miles (305,000 km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 45,000 with an impact energy of 86,000 tons TNT.

The small asteroid 2009 TD17 was discovered on 9 October by the Catalina Sky Survey four days after it had passed within 161,000 miles (260,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 11,000 with an impact energy of 26,000 tons TNT.

The small asteroid 2009 TB was discovered on 2 October by the Mount Lemmon Survey two days after it had passed within 50,000 miles (80,000 km) of Earth.

• September 2009
The small asteroid 2009 SN103 was discovered on 25 September by the Catalina Sky Survey three days before it passed within 289,000 miles (465,000 km) of Earth.

The 110-meter asteroid 2009 SM98 was discovered on 24 September by the Catalina Sky Survey twelve days after it had passed within 2.2 million miles (3.5 million km) of Earth.

The small asteroid 2009 SD15 was discovered on 19 September by the Mount Lemmon Survey six days after it had passed within 1.7 million miles (2.7 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 3.4 million with an impact energy of 150,000 tons TNT.

The small asteroid 2009 SH1 was discovered on 18 September by the Mount Lemmon Survey four days after it had passed within 544,000 miles (875,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 770,000 with an impact energy of 2,100 tons TNT.

The small asteroid 2009 RY3 was discovered on 13 September by the Siding Spring Survey two days after it had passed within 457,000 miles (735,000 km) of Earth.

The small asteroid 2009 RR was discovered on 11 September by the Catalina Sky Survey five days before it passed within 687,000 miles (1.1 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 132,000 with an impact energy of 850,000 tons TNT.

• August 2009
The small asteroid 2009 QC35 was discovered on 29 August by the Catalina Sky Survey four days before it passed within 700,000 miles (1.1 million km) of Earth.

• July 2009
The small asteroid 2009 OW6 was discovered on 27 July by the Catalina Sky Survey one day before it passed 1.7 million miles (2.8 million km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 110,000 with an impact energy of 690,000 tons TNT.

A large object believed to be a comet impacted Jupiter on 20 July. — full story — Hubble image

• June 2009
The 52-meter asteroid 2009 MG1 was discovered on 21 June by the Mount Lemmon Survey. Eventual impact probability is about one in 11 million with an impact energy of 9.8 megatons TNT.

The small asteroid 2009 MU was discovered on 19 June by the Catalina Sky Survey five days before it passed within 552,000 miles (889,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in four million with an impact energy of 3.6 megatons TNT.

• May 2009
The small asteroid 2009 JL2 was discovered on 12 May by the Catalina Sky Survey one day before it passed within 165,000 miles (265,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 116,000 with an impact energy of 470,000 tons TNT.

The small asteroid 2009 JF1 was discovered on 4 May by the Mount Lemmon Survey one day before it passed within 182,000 miles (293,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 3,000 with an impact energy of 230,000 tons TNT.

• April 2009
The small asteroid 2009 HW67 was discovered on 27 April by the Mount Lemmon Survey three days after it had passed within 252,000 miles (405,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 830,000 with an impact energy of 880,000 tons TNT.

The small asteroid 2009 HC was discovered on 17 April by Spacewatch twelve days after it had passed within 1.2 million miles (1.9 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 830,000 with an impact energy of 1.2 megatons TNT.

• March 2009
The small asteroid 2009 FP32 was discovered on 29 March by the Mount Lemmon Survey two days before it passed 27,500 miles (44,300 km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 130,000 with an impact energy of 50,000 tons TNT.

The small asteroid 2009 FZ4 was discovered on 19 March by the Mount Lemmon Survey sixteen days before it passed within 3.3 million miles (5.2 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 420,000 with an impact energy of one megaton TNT.

The small asteroid 2009 FJ was discovered on 17 March by the Catalina Sky Survey one day after it had passed within 1.2 million miles (1.9 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 22,000 with an impact energy of 1.6 megatons TNT.

The small asteroid 2009 FG was discovered on 16 March by the Mount Lemmon Survey ten days after it had passed within 2.1 million miles (3.4 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 200,000 with an impact energy of 650,000 tons TNT.

The small asteroid 2009 EJ1 was discovered on 3 March by Spacewatch four days after it had passed 38,000 miles (62,000 km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 170 million with an impact energy of 16,000 tons TNT.

The small asteroid 2009 EW was discovered on 2 March by the Catalina Sky Survey four days before it passed within 211,000 miles (340,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 59,000 with an impact energy of 300,000 tons TNT.

The small asteroid 2009 DD45 was discovered on 1 March by the Siding Spring Survey one day before it passed within 45,000 miles (72,000 km) of Earth.

• February 2009
The small asteroid 2009 DD45 was discovered on 27 February by the Siding Spring Survey three daes before it passed within 45,000 miles (72,000 km) of Earth.

The "Green Goddess" Comet Lulin made its closest approach to Earth on 24 February, at a distance of 38 million miles (61 million km). — full story

A daytime fireball was observed over Austin (Texas) on 15 February, where a news crew obtained a video [slow-loading 11MB ASF file].

A bright fireball was observed over Rieti (Italy) on 13 February, where astronomer Diego Valeri obtained a video [1.7MB Microsoft AVI file] of the event. On the same day in Kentucky (USA) a number of witnesses reported fireball sightings and loud sonic booms. — full story

The small asteroid 2009 CC2 was discovered on 4 February by the Catalina Sky Survey two days after it had passed within 117,000 miles (188,000 km) of Earth.

The small asteroid 2009 CZ1 was discovered on 3 February by the Mount Lemmon Survey two weeks before it passed within 4.5 million miles (7.2 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 910,000 with an impact energy of 6.2 megatons TNT.

• January 2009
The small asteroid 2009 BF58 was discovered on 28 January by the Catalina Sky Survey six days after it had passed 570,000 miles (918,000 km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 2800 with an impact energy of 42,000 tons TNT.

The 130-meter asteroid 2009 BR5 was discovered on 20 January by Spacewatch. Eventual impact probability is about one in 310,000 with an impact energy of 160 megatons TNT.

A bright blue-white fireball over Scandinavia was observed by numerous witnesses on 17 January, among whom Roger Svensson in Sweden obtained this video [890KB Macromedia Flash] of the event. — full story

The small asteroid 2009 BE was discovered on 16 January by the Mount Lemmon Survey. Eventual impact probability is about one in 1600 with an impact energy of 340,000 tons TNT.

The small asteroid 2009 BD was discovered on 16 January by the Mount Lemmon Survey nine days before it passed 426,000 miles (687,000 km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 1850 with an impact energy of 7700 tons TNT.

97 Potentially Hazardous Asteroids discovered in 2008
Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHA) are defined as those with orbits within 4.65 million miles (7.5 million km) of Earth's orbit. Ninety-seven more PHA were discovered in 2008, bringing the total to 1002 known Potentially Hazardous Asteroids, more than double those known in 2002. — full list

• December 2008
The 50-meter asteroid 2008 YF29 was discovered on 30 December by the Catalina Sky Survey twelve days before it passed within 2.3 million miles (3.8 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 130,000 with an impact energy of 4.6 megatons TNT.

The 330-meter asteroid 2008 YJ3 was discovered on 22 December by Spacewatch. Eventual impact probability is about one in 3.7 million with an impact energy of 2,700 megatons TNT.

The small asteroid 2008 YC3 was discovered on 22 December by the Catalina Sky Survey two days before it passed within 2.5 million miles (4 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 33,000 with an impact energy of 590,000 tons TNT.

The small asteroid 2008 YO2 was discovered on 21 December by the Mount Lemmon Survey four days before it passed within 3.6 million miles (5.8 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 150,000 with an impact energy of 1.9 megatons TNT.

The small asteroid 2008 YN2 was discovered on 21 December by the Mount Lemmon Survey seven days after it had passed within 1.8 million miles (2.9 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 8 billion with an impact energy of 190,000 tons TNT.

An extremely bright, exploding fireball was observed and photographed by numerous witnesses near Colorado Springs, Colorado on 6 December. — full story

The small asteroid 2008 XU2 was discovered on 6 December by the Mount Lemmon Survey six days after it had passed within 510,000 miles (820,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 11 million with an impact energy of 670,000 tons TNT.

The 65-meter asteroid 2008 XC1 was discovered on 3 December by the Catalina Sky Survey nine days before it passed within 990,000 miles (1.6 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 2.8 million with an impact energy of 11 megatons TNT.

The small asteroid 2008 XK was discovered on 2 December by the Mount Lemmon Survey four days before it passed within 412,000 miles (660,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 1.1 million with an impact energy of 60,000 tons TNT.

• November 2008
The 100-meter asteroid 2008 WK96 was discovered on 30 November by the Catalina Sky Survey seven days after it had passed 3.6 million miles (5.8 million km) from Earth.

The small asteroid 2008 WY94 was discovered on 29 November by the Siding Spring Survey six days before it passed within 760,000 miles (1.2 million km) of Earth.

A fireball over Edmonton, Alberta on 20 November was observed by numerous witnesses who obtained videos of the spectacular event. — full story

The small asteroid 2008 WO2 was discovered on 20 November by the Mount Lemmon Survey four days after it had passed 250,000 miles (400,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 17,000 with an impact energy of 1,400 tons 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 UW99 was discovered on 31 October by the Siding Spring Survey three days after it had passed within 820,000 miles (1.3 million km) of Earth.

The 400-meter asteroid 2008 UV99 was discovered on 31 October by the Siding Spring Survey. Eventual impact probability is about one in 9 million with an impact energy of 3,900 megatons TNT.

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) from 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.

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Answering the question, "How much warning will we have?", David Morrison (NASA) wrote in September 1998: "With so many of even the larger NEOs remaining undiscovered, the most likely warning today would be zero — the first indication of a collision would be the flash of light and the shaking of the ground as it hit."

Our mission is to ensure that there will be advance warning of asteroid or cometary impact in time for defensive action, by helping to obtain support for astronomers worldwide in their discovery of hazardous Near–Earth Objects.

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