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asteroid
asteroid
asteroid Small body in an independent orbit around the Sun. The majority move between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, in the main asteroid belt. The largest asteroid (and the first to be discovered) was
Ceres, with a diameter of 913km (567mi). There are thought to be a million asteroids with a diameter greater than 1km (0.6mi); below this, they decrease in size to dust particles. Some very small objects find their way to Earth as
meteorites. Today, nearly 6000 asteroids have been catalogued and have had their orbits calculated. This figure is increasing by several hundred a year. At least 10,000 more have been observed, but not often enough for an orbit to be calculated. Some of the larger asteroids are spherical, but most are irregularly shaped, and a wide variety of compositional types have been identified. Asteroids almost certainly originate from the time of the formation of the
Solar System and are not remnants of a large planet that disintegrated, as was once thought.
http://lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/asteroids.html; http://jpl.nasa.gov
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Asteroids are remnants from formation of solar system.(Neighbor)
Newspaper article from: Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL); 12/11/2002; 700+ words
; ...astronomer, offered this definition of asteroids and the asteroid belt. "Asteroids are chunks of rock and metal left over...orbit around the sun. If located in the asteroid belt, asteroids take three to six years to orbit the sun...
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Asteroids, Meteors, and Comets.(includes classroom study questions)
Magazine article from: Science Weekly; 2/12/1999; 700+ words
; ...Mars and Earth. These asteroids are called Earth-crossing or Mars-crossing asteroids. Scientists believe...years ago, such an asteroid crashed into the Earth...Asteroids in the News Though asteroids have been featured in...near" the Earth, Asteroid 1997 XF 11 is the one...
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ASTEROIDS REVEAL EARTH'S FORMATION.(Living Today)
Newspaper article from: Albany Times Union (Albany, NY); 12/12/1989; 700+ words
; ...determine that the asteroids in the inner edge of the Main Asteroid Belt between Mars...It is only the asteroids closest to the sun...rock into clay on asteroids located on the outer edge of the Main Asteroid Belt, Gaffey said...
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Asteroid narrowly misses Earth
Newspaper article from: Charleston Gazette; 6/21/2002; ; 700+ words
; ...such encounters. The asteroid was not detected until...June 14. When such asteroids are detected, they...100-meter-class asteroid passes within a lunar...only a handful of such asteroids that have penetrated...have been spotted by asteroid search programs...
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Asteroid tags along with Earth
Newspaper article from: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; 1/6/2003; ; 696 words
; ...interesting orbits for an asteroid we have ever seen...researcher who studies asteroids and who first plotted...the space rock. The asteroid, called 2002 AA29...program to find and plot asteroids that orbit near the...the 6-mile-wide asteroid that hit and killed...
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ASTEROIDS, METEORITES REVEAL FAMILY RESEMBLANCE
News Wire article from: US Fed News Service, Including US State News; 9/7/2006; 700+ words
; ...doubts about whether the asteroids really could be the...of the near-Earth asteroid Itokawa with existing...spectrum) between asteroids and ordinary chondrites...vaporizes the surface of asteroids, depositing a thin film that changes the asteroid's optical properties...
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ASTEROID WHIZZED PAST EARTH UNSEEN MARCH PHOTOS SHOW RELATIVELY CLOSE CALL
Newspaper article from: Post-Tribune (IN); 4/21/1989; 700+ words
; ...detect and track asteroids that cross the Earth...orbit, found the asteroid in photographs taken...Earth crossers (asteroids) and calculate...explode near the asteroid and nudge it out...experience." If the asteroid had hit the ocean...Earth- crossing asteroids and that such an...
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Asteroid watchers. (includes related article on the asteroid search from atop Kitt Peak in Arizona)
Magazine article from: Popular Science; 9/1/1992; ; 700+ words
; ...majority of near-Earth asteroids. The NASA panel proposes...of six semiautomated asteroid telescopes scattered across the world to detect asteroids at a much faster pace...mirrors than existing asteroid telescopes, the network...of the near-earth asteroids large enough to cause...
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ASTEROID SCARE EXPOSES FLAWS IN EARLY WARNING SYSTEM
Newspaper article from: The Boston Globe; 3/2/2004; ; 700+ words
; ...significance of possible asteroid strikes. Now, NASA...Force search for large asteroids that could hit the Earth...meteorites. The chance of an asteroid hitting Earth is exceedingly...Scientists believe that asteroids larger than about a...remote chance for a large asteroid-Earth ...
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ASTEROIDS: PERILS AND OPPORTUNITIES:JOHN S. LEWIS
Transcript from: Congressional Testimony; 5/21/1998; 700+ words
; ...presented by nearby asteroids. The testimony of Dr...impact of a comet or asteroid. The information in...authentic samples of asteroids. The idea of extracting...the exploitation of asteroid resources as early as...interstellar ships made from asteroids conveying our remote...
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Asteroids
Book article from: Space Sciences
...Other Jupiter-asteroid relationships are unstable, so asteroids are missing from...kicked out of the asteroid belt by Jupiter...forces, so no asteroids remain there...became separate asteroids. Asteroid Sizes, Shapes...
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asteroid
Book article from: A Dictionary of Astronomy
...percentage of asteroids orbit outside the main asteroid belt. Members...proportion of different asteroid classes changes...silicaceous) asteroids predominate in...scattered into the asteroid belt. The largest asteroids were heated by...
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Asteroid
Encyclopedia entry from: UXL Encyclopedia of Science
Asteroid Asteroids are relatively small...of the solar system. Asteroid belt Most asteroids lie in a main belt between...windows 600 miles away. Asteroids ten times the size of this Siberian asteroid are estimated to hit...
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Asteroid 2002 AA29
Encyclopedia entry from: The Gale Encyclopedia of Science
...x2019; s perspective. Asteroid 2002 AA29 made its closest...projections establish that in 550 AD Asteroid 2002 AA29 technically became...a second moon. Because of Asteroid 2002 AA29 ’ s odd...x201C; Transient Co-Orbital Asteroids. ” Icarus . 171...
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Asteroid Mining
Book article from: Space Sciences
...of the near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) are more accessible...derived from the target asteroid will enable potentially...launching from Earth. Asteroid-sourced raw materials...potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs) that come to...observation of comet-asteroid transition objects indicate...
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