Asteroid

Analysis and Comment (5)

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The chances of the weekends two asteroid events being related are next to zero. NASA/JPL-Caltech

Forensic astronomy: the Russian meteor and 2012 DA14

By Simon O'Toole, Australian Astronomical Observatory

One of the most exciting things about science is the detective work, and never was this more the case than Friday. Within an hour or so of the event, almost everyone had seen the dramatic footage of the…
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When it comes to asteroids, alert but not alarmed may be the best approach. NASA

Look out: close encounters of the asteroidal kind

By Simon O'Toole, Australian Astronomical Observatory

An asteroid named 2012 DA14 will come within 27,700 kilometres of Earth early on Saturday morning Australian time (around 6:30am AEDT). At this distance the asteroid will pass within the orbits of several…
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Asteroid impacts make for impressive images and movies, but how realistic is the threat? NASA

How to avoid an asteroid impact (without calling in Bruce Willis)

By Simon O'Toole, Australian Astronomical Observatory

How many times have you read a headline about our impending doom due to a “Deep Impact”-style annihilation? In a way it’s not surprising – we have an insatiable appetite for disaster stories, a hunger…
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When we start building structures outside Earth, the raw materials will likely come from asteroids. Planetary Resources

Asteroid mining will happen … but Australia will miss the boom

By Duncan Steel

There will be a future mining boom, as heralded in recent media stories. But this mining will take place in a location even more hostile than the Australian Outback – space. More specifically, the ore…

Research and News (5)

Research Briefs (5)

Vesta asteroid shown in new light

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Images from NASA’s Dawn spacecraft have revealed unusual geological features on the surface of the asteroid Vesta, one of…

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