|
|
|
TopClicks
->
Education
->
Science
->
Astronomy & Space
->
Asteroids, Comets and Meteors
Asteroid Comet Impact Hazards - The Earth orbits in a cosmic shooting gallery, subject to occasional random hits by comets and asteroids. Impacts by objects a mile or more across can devastate the planet's environment. The Spaceguard Survey is used as a first step in identifying and tracking potentially threatening objects. Find out the latest status, and if there are any asteroids headed our way.
Asteroids - The Small Bodies - Check out facts and information on the small (and not-so-small) bodies of our solar system that are constantly flying about.
Asteroids and Comets - Find out the facts about asteroids and comet, and of course plenty of photos. Learn about the missions to asteroids and comets, and tons of other resources from NASA.
Comet Observation Home Page - This site has an archive with hundreds of comet images, news on current comets, light curves, ephemerides, and definitions. Find out which comets are currently visible, and comets that will be visible in the near future including finder charts.
Cometography - Find out about currently visible comets, memorable comets of the past, orbits of the comets and sungrazing comets.
Comets - Comets are sometimes called dirty snowballs or "icy mudballs". They are a mixture of ices (both water and frozen gases) and dust that for some reason didn't get incorporated into planets when the solar system was formed. This makes them very interesting as samples of the early history of the solar system. This site explores these dirty snowballs in depth.
Comets - Dirty Snowballs - Comets are dirty-ice leftovers from the formation of our solar system around 4.5 billion years ago. They are among the least changed objects in our solar system, and, as such, may yield important clues about the formation of our solar system. Find out more about comets and about different comet missions.
HubbleSite - Out of the ordinary...Out of this world. NASA's orbiting Hubble Space Telescope sees the raw beauty of the universe from above Earth's atmosphere and sends back a portrait of the universe in exquisite detail. Here's your chance to leave the ground for a while... and see what Hubble sees.
Meteors, Meteorites and Impacts - A meteor is a bright streak of light in the sky (a "shooting star" or a "falling star") produced by the entry of a small meteoroid into the Earth's atmosphere. If you have a dark clear sky you will probably see a few per hour on an average night; during one of the annual meteor showers you may see as many as 100/hour. This site has extensive information and photos of these rocks that have fallen to the earth.
North American Meteor Network - A network of meteor observers and other astonomy enthusiasts dedicated to coverage of sporadic and meteor shower activity. Learn about observing meteors, find out target dates for meteor showers, find charts for determining sky conditions and meteor magnitudes, and find out how to test a meteorite to see if it is genuine.
The American Meteor Society - The American Meteor Society is a non-profit scientific organization established to encourage and support the research activities of both amateur and professional astronomers who are interested in the fascinating field of Meteor Astronomy. Their affiliates observe, monitor, collect data on, study, and report on meteors, meteor showers, meteoric fireballs, and related meteoric phenomena.
The Puckett Observatory - The Puckett Observatory is a private facility located in the North Georgia mountains and is dedicated to the study of comets and the discovery of supernovae. They specialize in photographing comets and deep sky objects. Come see their latest photos.
|
|
