I came across this visualization via Flowing Data. It was generated by Scott Manley at the Armagh Observatory and shows the discovery of new asteroids between 1980 and 2010. Whenever a new asteroid s discovered it is shown in white and usually fades to green but remains in orbit. The ones that fade to yellow are so-called earth approaching asteroids – those who are near earth’s orbit but do not intersect it. The ones that fade to red are the ones that cross earth’s orbit and could one day kill all of us once and for all in a fiery cataclysm. As a result of automated sky scanning projects in the 1990’s the rate of asteroid discovery greatly increases. The caption states that there are currently of half a million known asteroids orbiting the sun, and many more are expected to be discovered. It’s amazing how so much stuff is just floating around in the solar system, and amazing we’re all still here.
-
Recent Posts
Archives
- April 2016
- February 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- September 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
Categories
Meta
Where in the World?
This is great. And especially coincidental as I’m (re)reading Dave Raup’s short book “The Nemesis Affair” on the early days of asteroid/comet impacts as a force in biological extinctions. It’s a very interesting account of what is truly paradigm shifting science.
Don’t forget though that we have Bruce Willis to save us from any wayward planetary bodies that are stupid enough to head Earth’s way.
Right? cause that’s all that lets me sleep at night.
Hahaha, a guy I’ve known since elementary school posted this on Facebook saying “Sometimes I find things I would rather just not know.”