Protecting Earth from Asteroid Impacts

A massive asteroid impact is thought to be responsible for the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Impacts that destructive are rare, but astronomers have identified thousands of asteroids close enough to Earth to be potentially hazardous. A new plan to coordinate asteroid observations worldwide will help track big objects orbiting close to Earth and determine if they pose a threat.  

Science Bulletins is a production of the National Center for Science Literacy, Education, and Technology (NCSLET), part of the Department of Education at the American Museum of Natural History.

RELATED LINKS

NASA: Near-Earth Object Program
http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/

ESA: Near-Earth Objects
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Ope...

b612 Foundation: Defending Earth Against Asteroids
http://b612foundation.org/

JPL-NASA: Asteroid Watch
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroidwatch/

Solar System Exploration: Asteroids
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/p...

Science Bulletins: Impact! Tracking Near-Earth Asteroids
http://www.amnh.org/explore/science-b...

Asteroid Discovery: 1980-2012
Asteroid Discovery - 1980-2012 - UHDTV

• #science_technology
• #asteroid
• #near_earth_object
• #neo
• #impact
• #earth_planets
• #impact_event_disaster_type
• #space