Category Archives: Space Science

Astronomy, Space Science

Video: Radar shows asteroid 2012 DA14 tumbling

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Below is a radar view of asteroid 2021 DA14 as it receded from the earth after its flyby on Feb.15th.

Radar observations of asteroid 2012 DA14 generated from data obtained by NASA’s Goldstone Solar System Radar on Feb. 15-16, 2013. During the observations, the space rock’s distance increased from 74,000 to 195,000 miles (120,000 to 314,000 km) from Earth.

The movie is comprised of 73 radar “images” looped nine times.
Resolution is 4 meters per pixel.
Credit: NASA-JPL/Caltech

Update: More videos of the flyby at Out-of-control spaceship? Nope: It’s asteroid 2012 DA14, seen on radar – Cosmic Log

Astronomy, Education, Space Science

Virtual Space TV 3D – February 2013

We have posted the February episode of the Virtual SpaceTV 3D series. These are created by BINARY SPACE with story content from HobbySpace.com.

In this new show, Amanda Bush and James C. Birk talk about asteroids, asteroids and asteroids…
00:00 – 02:26 Asteroid 2012 DA14
02:27 – 03:25 Meteor Shower in Chelyabinsk
03:26 – 05:10 Deep Space Industries
05:11 – 07:05 Bigelow Aerospace
07:06 – 07:57 Curiosity Update

Other Virtual SpaceTV 3D shows are available on the  HobbySpace Youtube Channel.

These videos are intended as educational programs and as demonstrations of an experimental technique for generating animated presentations. The show was generated autonomously by software according to a text script. The project is described in the Virtual Producer whitepaper (pdf). For further information contact info@binary-space.com.

Astronomy, Space Science

More on Asteroid 2014 DA14 and the Chelyabinsk meteor

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NASA’s Asteroids and Comets web site has a lot of good info about both the flyby of asteroid 2012 DA14 and the meteor fireball over central Russian.

* NASA – Asteroid 2012 DA14 as Seen from Siding Spring, Australia:

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* Near-Earth Asteroid Makes Preview Appearance –  a report and another GIF of the flyby
* Asteroid 2012 DA14 – Earth Flyby Reality Check – videos, trajectory diagrams and Q&A

 

A NASA report on the Chelyabinsk meteor event: NASA – Russia Meteor Not Linked to Asteroid Flyby

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This non-NASA site posts a nice infographic comparing asteroids that flew near or into earth: Comparing the Russian Meteor to Tunguska and Yesterdays Near Miss Asteroid – NextBigFuture.com.

Astronomy, Space Collecting, Space Science

Meteorite collecting + Sutter Mill fireball + Meteor/Fireball notices

Meteorite collecting has become a popular hobby and a big business worldwide. The pieces of the Ural fireball will no doubt become highly sought after by both collectors and scientists : Meteorites Could be Worth Big Bucks – RIA Novosti.

Find lots of information and web resources on meteorites in the Space Collectables section.

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A fireball  occurred above northern California on April 22, 2012 and meteorite hunters soon began combing the area. Now referred to as the Sutter Mill fragments after the local historical site, nearly 80 fragments were collected by volunteers for scientific analysis within a couple of days of the event.  The quick collection effort meant that there was less time for contamination of the samples, which was important since the object turned out to be a rare type of asteroid called a carbonaceous chondrite:

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Smaller scale fireballs and meteor trails happen somewhere in the world daily. There are various web sites and blogs devoted to reporting on the latest sightings. See, for example: