LIV3 - NASA’s Eyes on Asteroids - Relax Sounds
4NASA’s Eyes on Asteroids provides an immersive experience where you can explore thousands of asteroids and comets in real-time. Here are some fascinating details:
Eyes on Asteroids Visualization:
This interactive visualization uses data from JPL’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) to compute high-precision orbits for Near-Earth Objects (NEOs). NEOs are asteroids and comets with orbits that bring them within 120 million miles (195 million kilometers) of the Sun, allowing them to circulate through Earth’s orbital neighborhood.
You can see thousands of these space rocks in real-time, explore their past, present, and future missions, and even track the next five close approaches to Earth.
Click, drag, or zoom in to navigate this captivating visualization1.
Near-Earth Objects:
Most near-Earth objects are asteroids ranging in size from about 10 feet (a few meters) to nearly 25 miles (40 kilometers) across.
While the majority of these objects pose no risk of impact, a small fraction of them, known as potentially hazardous asteroids, require more attention.
Potentially hazardous asteroids are defined as those larger than about 460 feet (140 meters) with orbits bringing them as close as within 4.6 million miles (7.5 million kilometers) of Earth’s orbit around the Sun.
The Center for Near-Earth Object Studies continuously monitors all known near-Earth objects to assess any impact risk they may pose.
Fortunately, there is currently no significant threat of impact for the next hundred years or more2.
How NASA Spots Near-Earth Asteroids:
NASA uses large observatories, including Pan-STARRS, the Catalina Sky Survey, and NASA’s NEOWISE mission, to collect asteroid-tracking data.
Planetary radar projects, such as JPL’s Goldstone Solar System Radar Group, also play a crucial role in NASA’s NEO Observations Program.
The Sentry impact-monitoring system at the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies continuously analyzes possible future orbits of hazardous asteroids.
The international community contributes data to the databases of the Minor Planet Center, which serves as the clearinghouse for small-body position measurements.
Amateur observers also make significant contributions to tracking near-Earth objects.
As more observations are made, the accuracy of an object’s orbit improves, allowing predictions of its future positions and potential close approaches to Earth.
Watch How NASA Spots Near-Earth Asteroids:
If you’ve ever wondered how NASA detects asteroids that might come too close to Earth, you can watch a fascinating video explaining the process.
Learn more about NASA’s efforts to find, study, and track near-Earth objects by visiting NASA’s Planetary Defense page2.
Feel free to explore the cosmos with Eyes on Asteroids and discover the wonders of our near-Earth object neighborhood! 🚀🌏🌠