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Asteroid Hunting

All articles tagged with #asteroid hunting

space-science2 years ago

NASA's Asteroid-Hunting Telescope Faces Imminent Earthbound Fate

NASA's NEOWISE (Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) telescope, which has been instrumental in surveying near-Earth objects and detecting potential threats, is nearing its end as increased solar activity is causing it to gradually fall out of orbit. The Sun's heating of Earth's atmosphere is leading to increased atmospheric drag, pulling the telescope lower in Earth's atmosphere. NEOWISE is expected to become unusable in early 2025 and will eventually burn up in Earth's atmosphere. Despite its impending demise, the valuable data gathered by NEOWISE will continue to contribute to advancements in the study of the infrared universe.

via Gizmodo|
#asteroid-hunting#earths-atmosphere#nasa
space2 years ago

NASA's NEOWISE Mission: From Asteroid-Hunting to Earth's Atmosphere

NASA's NEOWISE mission, which has been hunting for asteroids and comets for over a decade, is expected to come to an end by 2025. The mission's space telescope, part of the WISE spacecraft, will be dragged out of orbit by solar activity and burn up in Earth's atmosphere. NEOWISE has made significant discoveries, including 215 asteroids and comets, but the rising phase of the solar cycle is causing the telescope to spiral back towards Earth with no means to keep it in orbit.

via Space.com|
#asteroid-hunting#nasa#neowise
science-and-technology2 years ago

"Join the Hunt: Help Astronomers Find Asteroids Threatening Earth"

The University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory has launched an online portal that allows the public to assist in identifying asteroids and comets as part of the NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey. By creating an account on Zooniverse, users can scrutinize telescope images for potential celestial bodies, adding human insight to automated detection systems and aiding in the discovery of near-Earth objects. The Catalina Sky Survey operates up to five large, powerful telescopes each night in their quest to keep track of over 1 million lumps of flying rock with diameters ranging from the length of a school bus to the width of Arizona.

via SciTechDaily|
#asteroid-hunting#astronomy#citizen-science