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Comet 9P/Tempel 1 NASA Deep Impact mission Lunar impacts — 1969 to 1975 Meteorites from Mars Asteroid 1950 DA Impact Probability: unknown, possibly as much as one in 300 Impact Energy 60,000 megatons TNT Comet 109P (Swift-Tuttle) Comet C/1965 S1 (Ikeya-Seki) Comet C/1969 Y1 (Bennett) Comet C/1973 E1 (Kohoutek) Comet C/1975 V1 (West) Asteroid 1979 XB Impact Probability: one in three million. Impact Energy 39,000 megatons TNT Asteroid 1989 AC (4179 Toutatis) Comet D/1993 F2 (Shoemaker-Levy) Asteroid 1994 GK Impact Probability: one in 16,000 Impact Energy 6.2 megatons TNT Asteroid 1994 GV Impact Probability: one in 11,000 Impact Energy 40,000 tons TNT Asteroid 1994 WR12 Impact Probability: one in 11,000 Impact Energy 53 megatons TNT Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) Asteroid 1995 CS Impact Probability: one in 263,000 Impact Energy 2.4 megatons TNT Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) Asteroid 1996 TC1 Impact Probability: one in 1.2 million Impact Energy 19 megatons TNT Asteroid 1998 DK36 Impact Probability: one in a million Impact Energy one megaton TNT Asteroid 1998 HJ3 Impact Probability: one in 4.2 million Impact Energy 38,000 megatons TNT Asteroid 1999 RQ36 Impact Probability: one in 1400 Impact Energy 2,700 megatons TNT Asteroid 1999 AN10 Impact Probability: one in ten million Impact Energy 125,000 megatons TNT Asteroid 1999 RZ31 Impact Probability: one in 2.2 million Impact Energy 6.4 megatons TNT Asteroid 1999 SF10 Impact Probability: one in 670,000 Impact Energy 3.5 megatons TNT Asteroid 2000 LG6 Impact Probability: more than one in 1200 Impact Energy 3,100 tons TNT Asteroid 2000 QS7 Impact Probability: more than one in 770,000 Impact Energy 3,200 megatons TNT Asteroid 2000 SB45 Impact Probability: more than one in 6700 Impact Energy 2.8 megatons TNT Asteroid 2000 SG344 Impact Probability: more than one in 600 Impact Energy 1.1 megatons TNT Asteroid 2000 TU28 Impact Probability: more than one in 4.3 million Impact Energy 760 megatons TNT Asteroid 2001 BA16 Impact Probability: more than one in 189,000 Impact Energy 300,000 tons TNT Asteroid 2001 BB16 Impact Probability: one in 185,000 Impact Energy 24 megatons TNT Asteroid 2001 WN5 Impact Probability: one in 91,000 Impact Energy 17,000 megatons TNT Asteroid 2002 MN Impact Probability: one in 300,000 Impact Energy 15 megatons TNT Asteroid 2002 TX55 Impact Probability: one in 56,000 Impact Energy 9.2 megatons TNT Asteroid 2004 BX159 Impact Probability: one in 385 million Impact Energy 96,000 megatons TNT Asteroid 2004 MN4 (Apophis) Impact Probability: one in 43,000 Impact Energy 510 megatons TNT Comet C/2004 Q2 (Machholz) Asteroid 2004 XK3 Impact Probability: more than one in 6,000 Impact Energy 2.3 megatons TNT Asteroid 2004 XY130 Impact Probability: one in 2.3 million Impact Energy 2,700 megatons TNT Asteroid 2004 YD5 Comet P/2005 JQ5 (Catalina) Asteroid 2005 XA8 Impact Probability: one in 13,000 Impact Energy 710,000 tons TNT Asteroid 2005 WY55 Impact Probability: one in 70,000 Impact Energy 1,100 megatons TNT Asteroid 2006 BZ147 Impact Probability: one in 9000 Impact Energy 480,000 tons TNT Asteroid 2006 DM63 Impact Probability: one in 800 Impact Energy 130,000 tons TNT Asteroid 2006 JY26 the most likely known impactor, Impact probability: one in 185 Impact energy 8200 tons TNT. Asteroid 2006 QV89 Impact Probability: one in 3,000 Impact Energy 650,000 tons TNT. Asteroid 2006 SC Impact Probability: one in 30,000 Impact Energy 1.3 megatons TNT. Asteroid 2006 SU49 Impact Probability: one in 140 million Impact Energy 1,700 megatons TNT. Asteroid 2007 FT3 Impact Probability: one in a million Impact Energy 2,700 megatons TNT. Asteroid 2007 HE15 Impact Probability: one in 280,000 Impact Energy 1,900 megatons TNT. Asteroid 2007 HX3 Impact Probability: one in 50 million Impact Energy 1,500 megatons TNT. More Comet/Asteroid Information Recommended Reading and Videos for more information Advertise on this Site |
Current News Click here for recent news and information. • 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 Arthur Hickman, a geologist with the Geological Survey of Western Australia, has discovered a 260-meter wide impact crater in the Pilbara region of northwest Australia. — 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. Dozens of witnesses observed a large fireball on 21 February that exploded over southeastern Washington. — full story 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 6.7 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 170,000 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 50-meter asteroid 2007 WD5 was discovered on 20 November by the Mount Lemmon Survey nineteen 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 4,200 with an impact energy of 4,500 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 11,000 with an impact energy of 10,000 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 1.4 million with an impact energy of 480,000 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 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. • June 2007 Geophysicists have determined that the undulating shorelines of Mars, indicative of now-extinct oceans, are due to "true polar wander" resulting from a major shift of mass on the planet's surface — possibly as a result of impact. — full story In a letter to the Congressional Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, Representative Dana Rohrabacher stated, "Near Earth Objects (NEOs) including asteroids and comets are often ignored, yet pose a significant threat to our planet. NASA predicts that there are 20,000 objects, each with the potential energy of 100 megatons of TNT or more, that can be considered potentially dangerous objects." Our goal is to help detect these threats. — full story The small asteroid 2007 MB4 was discovered on 19 June by LINEAR, fifteen days before it passed 1.8 million miles (2.9 million km) from Earth. A small meteoroid (reported as a "meteorite") punctured a component of one module of the International Space Station on 7 June. — full story • May 2007 In the Summary and Recommendations published this month from the AIAA 2007 Planetary Defense Conference held in March is the statement: "An impact by an object in [the 140- to 300-meter] size range could occur with little or no warning and could cause serious loss of life and property over a broad area." This is what we hope to prevent. — full story University of Oregon researchers have announced their theory that an asteroid/comet impact initiated a cold spell that wiped out or fragmented the prehistoric Clovis culture and a variety of animals across North America 12,900 years ago. — full story The small asteroid 2007 KE4 was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey on 24 May. Eventual impact probability is about one in 43,000 with an impact energy of 1.1 megatons TNT. The 75-meter asteroid 2007 KO4 was discovered on 22 May by the Mount Lemmon Survey three days before it passed 17 million miles (28 million km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 260,000 with an impact energy of 21 megatons TNT. The small asteroid 2007 KV2 was discovered on 21 May by the Catalina Sky Survey eight days after it had passed 1.6 million miles (2.5 million km) from Earth. The small asteroid 2007 JB21 was discovered by LINEAR on 12 May, three days after it had passed 388,000 miles (624,000 km) from Earth. • April 2007 The small asteroid 2007 HB15 was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey on 23 April, one day before it passed 137,000 miles (220,000 km) from Earth. A meteoric fireball was observed on 20 April by dozens of observers in western Colorado as it passed over Delta, Akin, Palisade, Grand Junction, Fruita, and Rangely. — full story The small asteroid 2007 HV4 was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey on 20 April, two days before it passed within 345,000 miles (555,000 km) of Earth. The 300-meter asteroid 2007 HA was discovered by LINEAR on 16 April, one day before it passed about 1.5 million miles (2.5 million km) from Earth. Greg Selleck of Madison, Wisconsin, made this movie [1.8MB MPEG] of its passage. The small asteroid 2007 GU1 was discovered on 11 April by the Catalina Sky Survey five days before it passed about 480,000 miles (775,000 km) from Earth. • March 2007 NASA officials at the Planetary Defense Conference in Washington say the agency does not have sufficient funding to detect most of the potentially hazardous asteroids. — full story The 1.7-kilometer asteroid 2006 VV2 passed about 2.1 million miles (3.4 million km) from Earth on 31 March, offering astronomers an opportunity for detailed study of its surface. Robert Long captured this image [765x510 JPG, 42KB] of the asteroid with his 80mm telescope. — full story The small asteroid 2007 FY20 was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey on 26 March, seven days before it passed 1.25 million miles (2 million km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 7,000 with an impact energy of 1.8 megatons TNT. The 340-meter asteroid 2007 FT3 was discovered by the Mount Lemmon Survey on 20 March. Eventual impact probability is about one in a million with an impact energy of 2,700 megatons TNT. The small asteroid 2007 FP3 was discovered on 20 March by the Mount Lemmon Survey five days before it passed 813,000 miles (1.3 million km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 670,000 with an impact energy of 12,000 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2007 EO88 was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey on 15 March, three days after it had passed about 300,000 miles (480,000 km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 300,000 with an impact energy of 210,000 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2007 EN88 was discovered by LINEAR on 15 March, two days after it had passed about 560,000 miles (890,000 km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 2 million with an impact energy of 230,000 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2007 EE126 was discovered by the Mount Lemmon Survey on 15 March, five days after it had passed about 1.2 million miles (1.9 million km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 25 million with an impact energy of 2.9 megatons TNT. An unusual green comet was discovered by Terry Lovejoy of Australia on 15 March. Unfortunately, Comet Lovejoy (C/2007 E2) was not visible without visual aid (telescope or binoculars). — full story The small asteroid 2007 EV was discovered on 10 March by the Catalina Sky Survey six days before it passed 164,000 miles (264,000 km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 320,000 with an impact energy of 1.4 megatons TNT. The small asteroid 2007 EZ25 was discovered by the Mount Lemmon Survey on 9 March, five days after it had passed about 940,000 miles (1.5 million km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 3.8 million with an impact energy of 1.8 megatons TNT. The small asteroid 2007 EH was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey on 9 March just 44 hours before it passed within 112,000 miles (180,000 km) of Earth. The small asteroid 2007 EK was discovered by Spacewatch on 9 March, four days before it passed 164,000 miles (264,000 km) from Earth. A small meteorite impacted a home in Bloomington, Illinois on 5 March. — full story • February 2007 The small asteroid 2007 DS7 was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey on 21 February, three days after it had passed about 425,000 miles (685,000 km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 56,000 with an impact energy of 540,000 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2007 CC27 was discovered by LINEAR on 13 February, two days after it had passed about 205,000 miles (330,000 km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 20,000 with an impact energy of 110,000 tons TNT. • January 2007 The small asteroid 2007 BB was discovered on 17 January by the Catalina Sky Survey, two days before it passed 240,000 miles (387,000 km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 385,000 with an impact energy of 18,000 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2007 BD was discovered on 16 January by the Catalina Sky Survey, two days before it passed 200,000 miles (320,000 km) from Earth. Researchers studying data from the Mars Express spacecraft have concluded that solar wind is not responsible for the loss of Martian atmosphere and water, leaving asteroid impact as the most likely explanation. — full story NASA Meteoroid Environment Group has observed twenty lunar meteors during 107 hours of videotaped monitoring of the Moon's night surface. — full story In research performed at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, geologists have discovered evidence that black diamonds are of extraterrestrial origin, carried to Earth in asteroids. — full story Comet McNaught (C/2006 P1) was discovered in August 2006 and subsequently became the brightest comet since Comet Ikeya-Seki in 1965. Alfonso Pocchiesa and Piergiorgio Cusinato at Table Mountain, Cape Town, in South Africa captured this image [1238x931 JPG, 152KB] of the comet on 21 January -- with a 680x512 [49KB] version here. — full story A metallic object weighing more than 13 ounces, possibly a meteorite, crashed through the roof of a home in Freehold Township (New Jersey) and embedded itself in a wall on 2 January. — photo — full story NASA Meteoroid Environment Office reports at least five observed Geminid meteor impacts on the Moon in December, each with an impact energy of 50 to 125 lbs TNT. — full story 83 Potentially Hazardous Asteroids discovered in 2006 Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHA) are defined as those with orbits within 4.65 million miles (7.5 million km) of Earth's orbit. Eighty-three more PHA were discovered in 2006, bringing the total to 825 known Potentially Hazardous Asteroids, more than double those known in 2001. — full list • December 2006 The small asteroid 2006 YE was discovered by the Mount Lemmon Survey on 16 December, the day it passed about 1.2 million miles (1.9 million km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 420,000 with an impact energy of 40,000 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2006 XZ2 was discovered on 13 December by the Mount Lemmon Survey, one day after it had passed about 1.1 million miles (1.8 million km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 2.4 million with an impact energy of 71,000 tons TNT. Images obtained by the Mars Global Surveyor show twenty fresh impact craters on the Martian surface. — full story Over the past year, NASA Meteoroid Environment Office has observed impacts on the Moon about four times more frequently than expected. — full story • November 2006 The small asteroid 2006 WZ184 was discovered by LiNEAR on 28 November, two days after it had passed about 1.4 million miles (2.3 million km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 220,000 with an impact energy of 260,000 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2006 WV29 passed about 880,000 miles (1.4 million km) from Earth on 26 November. Eventual impact probability is about one in 220,000 with an impact energy of 310,000 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2006 WC30 was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey on 25 November, three days before it passed about 1.5 million miles (2.4 million km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in sixty million with an impact energy of 3.6 megatons TNT. The small asteroid 2006 WP1 was discovered on 18 November by the Mount Lemmon Survey, two days after it had passed within 193,000 miles (311,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 50,000 with an impact energy of 32,000 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2006 WV was discovered on 17 November by the Catalina Sky Survey, four days before it passed within 217,000 miles (349,000 km) of Earth. A group of scientists called the "Holocene Impact Working Group" have compiled evidence that several large wedge-shaped sediment deposits, called "chevrons", were formed as the result of impact tsunamis within the past 10,000 years. — full story • October 2006 The small asteroid 2006 UJ185 was was discovered on 28 October by the Mount Lemmon Survey 34 hours before passing within 166,000 miles (267,000 km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is one in 500,000 with an impact energy of 42,000 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2006 UQ216 was discovered on 29 October by the Mount Lemmon Survey, eight days before it passed about 1.3 million miles (2.1 million km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is one in 30 million with an impact energy of 38,000 tons TNT. Comet C/2006 M4 (SWAN) was discovered in June, and made its closest approach to Earth on 24 October at a distance of about 100 million miles (160 million km). A very impressive image [800x600 JPEG, 103KB] was obtained by Michael Jager and Gerald Rhemann in September. The small asteroid 2006 UC64 was discovered on 23 October by the Mount Lemmon Survey six days before it passed about 3.4 million miles (5.5 million km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 43 million with an impact energy of 3.4 megatons TNT. The small asteroid 2006 UE64 was discovered on 23 October by the Catalina Sky Survey, two days after it had passed about 110,000 miles (178,000 km) from Earth. The small asteroid 2006 UU17 was discovered on 20 October by the Mount Lemmon Survey four days after it had passed about 550,000 miles (880,000 km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 50,000 with an impact energy of 200,000 tons TNT. Detailed images of the binary asteroid system 1999 KW4 have been released, including a QuickTime video of its motion. — full story NASA announced that its Cassini mission has provided evidence of a comet or asteroid collision in 1984 with Saturn's innermost D-ring. — full story Impact by a micrometeoroid caused minor damage to the space shuttle Atlantis in September. — full story • September 2006 The small asteroid 2006 SF281 was discovered on 30 September by the Mount Lemmon Survey two days before it passed about 2.1 million miles (3.4 million km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 480,000 with an impact energy of 180,000 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2006 SR131 was discovered on 26 September by the Mount Lemmon Survey two days after it had passed about 290,000 miles (470,000 km) from Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 43,000 with an impact energy of 20,000 tons TNT. A small meteorite recovered by the US Antarctic Search for Meteorites program (ANSMET) has been determined to be of Lunar origin. — full story The small asteroid 2006 SC passed within 500,000 miles (780,000 km) of Earth on 13 September. Eventual impact probability is about one in 40,000, with an impact energy of 1.3 megatons TNT. Hundreds of witnesses observed a meteoric fireball that exploded over New Zealand on 12 September. A small stone has been found that may be a fragment of the exploded meteor. — full story The small asteroid 2006 QV89 passed within 1.9 million miles (3 million km) of Earth on 5 September, seven days after discovery by the Catalina Sky Survey. Eventual impact probability is about one in 3,000 with an impact energy of 660,000 tons TNT. • August 2006 The small asteroid 2006 QM111 passed within 100,000 miles (160,000 km) of Earth on 31 August, about eight hours after discovery by Siding Spring Survey. Researchers now believe the Mariner 4 spacecraft was struck by debris from Comet D/1895 Q1 (Swift) in 1967. — full story The small asteroid 2006 QN111 was discovered on 27 August by Siding Spring Survey six days after it had passed within 1.8 million miles (2.8 million km) of Earth. Eventual impact probability is about one in 480,000 with an impact energy of 8.1 megatons TNT. First, the good news: the International Astronomical Union has set up a special task force to sharpen its focus on threats from Near-Earth Objects. Next, the bad news: there are no asteroid-busters to stop one. — full story • July 2006 The small asteroid 2006 OK3 passed within 175,000 miles (280,000 km) of Earth on 22 July, just twenty hours after discovery by the Catalina Sky Survey. Scores of witnesses observed a meteor explode in the sky over Norway on 14 July. — full story The large asteroid 2004 XP14 passed within 270,000 miles (433,000 km) of Earth on 3 July, close enough to be visible through an amateur telescope of moderate size. — full story Dedication of the new 71-inch Panoramic Survey Telescope PS1 atop Haleakala on the big island of Hawaii took place on the last day of June. With the world's largest digital camera (1.4 gigapixel), the telescope will search for potentially-hazardous asteroids and comets. — full story • June 2006 NASA engineers at the Marshall Space Flight Center have recorded a video [2.4MB GiF] of a meteoroid impact on the Moon with an energy of four tons TNT. — full story A meteoric fireball was seen over Norway on 7 June shortly before its impact was recorded on seismographs. — full story Researchers have discovered a 300-mile-wide crater beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, dating back about 250 million years to the time of the Permian-Triassic extinction. — full story • May 2006 The small asteroid 2006 JY26 passed Earth at a distance of 270,000 miles (434,000 km) on 10 May four days after discovery by the Catalina Sky Survey. Eventual impact probability is one in 170, with an impact energy of 8200 tons TNT. Fragments of Comet 73P (Schwassmann-Wachmann 3) passing Earth were close enough to be visible to the unaided eye. Astronomers at Palomar Observatory have assembled downloadable movies of the comet's motion. — full story • April 2006 The Space Show titled "Cosmic Collisions" premiered on Saturday 18 March at the Hayden Planetarium in the Rose Center for Earth and Space at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. The show presents research-based scientific simulations and visualizations of impact events. — synopsis New images of the rings of Saturn from the Cassini spacecraft have provided further evidence that the rings were formed by the collision of an asteroid or comet with an icy satellite of Saturn no more than 100 million years ago. — full story • March 2006 Emilio Gonzalez at Astroseti.org has discovered two previously undetected impact craters only 30 miles (50 km) apart in Africa, using Google Earth. — full story Following an earlier announcement by NASA of the cancellation of the Dawn Mission to investigate the two largest known asteroids, Ceres and Vesta, the mission has been reinstated. — full story The large asteroid 2000 PN9, over one mile (1.7 km) in diameter, passed less than 1.9 million miles (3 million km) from Earth on 6 March, close enough for Bob Forrest to record this movie [600KB MPEG-1] with a video digicam through his 16-inch telescope. Researchers from Boston University have discovered an impact crater 19 miles (31 km) in diameter, given the name Kebira, in the Western Desert of Egypt near the Libyan border. — full story • February 2006 The small asteroid 2006 DM63 passed about 143,000 miles (230,000 km) from Earth on 24 February. Eventual impact probability is one in 8,000 with an impact energy of 130,000 tons TNT. The small asteroid 2006 DD1 passed Earth at a distance of 73,000 miles (118,000 km) on 23 February one day after discovery by the Catalina Sky Survey. Comet C/2006 (Pojmanski) was discovered in early January, about seven weeks before its closest approach to the Sun on 22 February. — full story • January 2006 The small asteroid 2006 BF56 passed about 127,000 miles (205,000 km) from Earth on 29 January. Eventual impact probability is one in 160,000 with an impact energy of 9100 tons TNT. 97 Potentially Hazardous Asteroids discovered in 2005 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 2005, bringing the total to 742 known Potentially Hazardous Asteroids, nearly double those known in 2001. — full list Older News Archive Click here for older archived articles. Advertise on this Site |
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