It’s one thing to read about the discovery history of asteroids; it is another to visualize it. Astronomer Scott Manley has created a fantastic animation illustrating the known positions of all asteroids discovered in the past three decades. Each new discovery appears as a white object and then evolves to either yellow or red for near-Earth-asteroids, or green for all others.
While the animation is not to scale – Space is not so crowded as it appears in the video – it does offer a great comprehension of how frequently we are discovering new objects, especially in the last decade, and of just how busy our inner solar system really is. Hundreds of thousands of asteroids have already been discovered, more than seven-thousand of which pass near or across our own planet’s orbit. Scientists estimate that there are probably millions of undiscovered asteroids residing in the Main Belt, with about 750,000 measuring greater than one kilometer, and hundreds of thousands of which are likely near-Earth asteroids.
The most interesting thing about Manley’s animation is the discovery pattern. As noted in Manley’s You Tube description, most discoveries are made in the region directly opposite the Sun and many are obviously related to specific missions and surveys, such as the automated sky surveys, the more recent WISE mission, and even past searches for Jovian satellites.
Kudos to Scott Manley for this creative way of bringing the more intricate details of solar system discovery down to Earth!
*Click the full-screen option and turn up your sound.
This week’s Look-Up report features a colorful sunset conjunction, the waxing gibbous Moon with Jupiter and Pleiades, and a word about light pollution! Click here for the full report, including graphics and links.
Wanna see (and hear!) something really fun? Solar Beat, a project by White Vinyl Design, employs a virtual orrery to illustrate the orbits of the planets, including Ceres and Pluto, through sight and sound.
Each planet is represented by its own note as it marks one full orbit around the Sun, creating a beautiful celestial melody. You can even adjust the tempo, from a somber slow to a more whimsical quick. For added fun, watch the “years passed” data at the bottom of the application. You’ll quickly grasp the differences between the inner planets vs the outer planets.
So, go ahead – click on the Solar Beat graphic and don’t forget to turn up your sound!
Thanks to @Go2SpaceNow for sharing this wonderful project!
Our special Perseids #Meteorwatch presentation, When Planets and Particles Collide – Part II, is now available for on-demand play. Click here to watch and listen. NOTE: The slides may take a moment to load.
WHAT: When Planets and Particles Collide – Part II
WHEN: Thursday, August 12, 9:00 pm EDT
WHERE: AFM*Radio
Join us Thursday night on AFM*Radio for a fun slideshow presentation featuring the Perseid Meteor Shower! Adapting last year’s When Planets and Particles Collide, we’ll focus on the Perseids as we talk about the differences between meteoroids, meteors, and meteorites; the mechanisms of meteor showers; and the night sky surrounding constellation Perseus. Science and Fun, all rolled into one!
NOTE: This special feature will be presented in Adobe Connect. Log-in here as a “guest”. You can then listen to the audio through the Adobe room, or mute the Adobe sound and listen via AFM*Radio.
