0 notes &
Video Of Asteroid Discoveries from 1980 - 2011
If there’s an asteroid out there with our name on it, I’m convinced they’ll find it within my lifetime. Earth crossers are red, Earth approachers are yellow and the rest are green.
The video was created by Sott Manley. He explains some of the patterns:
Notice now the pattern of discovery follows the Earth around its orbit, most discoveries are made in the region directly opposite the Sun. You’ll also notice some clusters of discoveries on the line between Earth and Jupiter, these are the result of surveys looking for Jovian moons. Similar clusters of discoveries can be tied to the other outer planets, but those are not visible in this video.
As the video moves into the mid 1990’s we see much higher discovery rates as automated sky scanning systems come online. Most of the surveys are imaging the sky directly opposite the sun and you’ll see a region of high discovery rates aligned in this manner.
At the beginning of 2010 a new discovery pattern becomes evident, with discovery zones in a line perpendicular to the Sun-Earth vector. These new observations are the result of the WISE (Widefield Infrared Survey Explorer) which is a space mission that’s tasked with imaging the entire sky in infrared wavelengths.
It’s only a matter of time before we find an Earth-killer shaped like a throwing star.
(originally via Boing Boing)
