NASA animation highlights every asteroid space agency has followed since 1998



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As the NASA Earth Objects Studies Center enters its third decade of existence, the space agency has shared an animation showcasing each asteroid with which it has come into contact since 1998.

This animation includes all asteroids or comets in orbit. has entered our solar system within 121 million miles of the sun, and within 30 million miles of Earth's orbit around the sun. NASA says there are more than 18,000 known near-Earth objects, and that she discovers them at a rate of about 40 per week.

In the video below, the space agency says that the animation shows all the known asteroids discovered in our solar system between January 1, 1999 and January 31 of this year. The blue dots represent the asteroids close to the Earth and the orange dots represent the asteroids between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter:

"For about 20 years, the CNEOS (Center of Studies of the Objects Terrestres)) has been the nerve center of NASA to accurately map the orbits of all known NEOs, to predict their near future approaches, to reliably assess their chances of impact on our planet and to disseminate this information to astronomers of the world. the world and the general public reports in a press release

"The first and most important step in assessing the risk of impact of an asteroid or an comet is to determine if the orbit of any object will cross the orbit of the Earth – and then how well it will reach our planet. "

Since the creation of the division formerly known as the Earth Observations Program, the discovery of asteroids and comets in our solar system has been increased tenfold. The initial objective of the division was to "detect and catalog" up to 90% of all objects close to Earth by more than one kilometer during its first ten years of life. existence.

NASA claims that even though the initial goal set by the US Congress in 1998 was "exceeded," a new congressional goal required the group to discover at least 90 percent of terrestrial objects less than 450 feet by 2020. 19659003] "These smaller asteroids may not represent a global disaster threat if they affect the Earth, but they could cause havoc and loss of life in massive numbers, especially when they occur. they occur near a metropolitan area ".

"CNEOS continues to improve its orbital analysis tools, graphical and graphical presentation capabilities, and updates to its Web sites to provide the latest information on near-Earth objects to PDCO quickly and accurately. , the astronomical community and the public. " ]

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