Gourt > Science > Astronomy > Solar System > Asteroids, Comets and Meteors > Meteors (2)
- "Asteroids" redirects here. This article is about the astronomical bodies. For the arcade game, see Asteroids (game).
An asteroid is a predominantly rocky body that orbits around its star. In our solar system, asteroids are the best known class of minor planet (or planetoid). They are much smaller than even the small major planets such as Mercury or Mars. The vast majority of the asteroids are found within the main asteroid belt, with elliptical orbits between those of Mars and Jupiter. It is thought that asteroids are remnants of the protoplanetary disc, and in this region the incorporation of protoplanetary remnants into the planets was prevented by large gravitational perturbations induced by Jupiter during the formative period of the solar system. Some asteroids have moons.
Asteroids in the solar system
Hundreds of thousands of asteroids have been discovered within the solar system and the present rate of discovery is about 5000 per month. As of April 14, 2006, from a total of 330,795 registered minor planets, 129,436 have orbits known well enough to be given permanent official numbers. Of these, 13,040 have official names (trivia: at least 610 of these names require diacritics). The lowest-numbered but unnamed minor planet is (3360) 1981 VA; the highest-numbered named minor planet is 129342 Épendes . More on [ Asteroid ]
Meteorites :: Business
Meteorites :: Rocks and Minerals
Millionaire Follows Dad's Footsteps — Into Space
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 08:41:00 -0400
Richard Garriott, a famous video game developer, is paying millions of dollars for a ride on a Russian rocket to the International Space Station. He has wanted to go to space since he was a kid. His father and all of his neighbors were NASA astronauts. It's the first time the child of an American astronaut will blast off into space.
Young Galaxy's Magnetic Field Is Surprisingly Strong
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:53:00 -0400
Current models indicate that the magnetic fields that enclose galaxies grow slowly over billions of years. But scientists have used a telescope to peer back millions of years in time and discovered a distant galaxy with a magnetic field at least 10 times the average strength.
SpaceX Celebrates First Successful Rocket Launch
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:53:00 -0400
SpaceX's flagship Falcon1 rocket has successfully launched from an island in the central Pacific, becoming the first privately-developed rocket to orbit the planet. NASA has already contracted SpaceX to begin private space flight missions to the International Space Station beginning in 2010.
Computer Malfunction Delays Hubble Mission
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:31:00 -0400
NASA has postponed a planned repair mission to the Hubble Space Telescope after a new problem developed with the orbiting observatory. Ed Weiler, associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA, explains why repairs won't take place until Feb. 2009 — at the earliest.
For Young Chinese, Spacewalk An Indicator Of Might
Sat, 27 Sep 2008 17:05:00 -0400
China on Saturday will become only the third nation — after Russia and the United States — to carry out a spacewalk. The event will be broadcast live nationwide. This milestone underscores China's technological achievements and is boosting national pride.
Solar Winds, Crucial To Life On Earth, Decreasing
Fri, 26 Sep 2008 12:45:00 -0400
Solar winds — invisible gas plasma emitted by the Sun — protect the solar system from cosmic rays that are hostile to terrestrial life. But new data from the Ulysses NASA probe indicate solar wind output is lower than has ever been previously documented.
1908 Siberia Explosion: Reconstructing an Asteroid Impact from Eyewitness Accounts - Descriptions of the Tunguska impact event. Researched, written, and illustrated by William K. Hartmann.
Astronomy 161: Meteors and Meteor Showers - Descriptions and explanations of what causes meteors, as well as the history of its study.
Cloudbait Observatory - Fireballs - Fireball and meteor descriptions, reporting information, data on fireballs over Colorado.
Jupiter Scientific: Leonids Meteor Shower - What to expect, how to observe and history of the shower.
Meta Description: [ Leonid Meteor Shower Information ]
Jupiter Scientific: The Perseid Meteors - Information, observation and history. Updated yearly in July.
Meta Description: [ Perseid Meteor Shower Information and How to View the Perseids ]
Meteor Observing Calendar - A concise listing of all meteor showers that can be seen throughout the year.
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Meteor Shower Observing - Main showers dates.
Meteor Video Log Northern Ireland - Provides daily observations of meteors including images.
MeteorObs - A forum for meteor observers of all levels. Mailing list, mailing list archives, FAQ, how to view meteor showers.
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NASA's Leonid Multi-Instrument Aircraft Campaign - Offers news, images and reports by a team observing meteor storms such as the Leonids and Perseids.
Sandia National Laboratories - Extraordinary meteor flash captured - Images and description of a bright meteor event on August 15, 1999, recorded by an all-sky camera at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Sky and Telescope: Observing Meteors - News, articles.
Meta Description: [ Sky & Telescope, the Essential Magazine of Astronomy. News, observing tips, how-to advice, and more! ]
The Solar System in Action: Meteoroids and Meteors - What meteors really are and when to see them.
Meta Description: [ Meteors and Meteor showers - what they are, when they happen, what causes them, etc. ]
Understanding the Leonids - Information on the Leonid meteor storms which are associated with the appearance of the comet Tempel-Tuttle.
Views of the Solar System: Meteoroids and Meteorites - General information, data, pictures. Also features educator's guides to micrometeorites, impact craters and space debris.
Wikipedia: Meteor - Encyclopedia article. Definitions, meteor showers, fireballs.
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Yukon Meteorite Recovered - News article on a meteorite found in Canada.
Meta Description: [ NASA Science News: Fragments of
a meteor that exploded over the Yukon in January have been recovered.
Scientists describe the find as the most important
recovery of a rock from space in at least 31 years. ]
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