Building Blocks of Life's Building Blocks Come From Starlight
JPL/NASA 13OCT2016
Life exists in a myriad of wondrous forms, but if you break any organism down to its most basic parts, it's all the same stuff: carbon atoms connected to hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and other elements. But how these fundamental substances are created in space has been a longstanding mystery.
Now, astronomers better understand how molecules form that are necessary for building other chemicals essential for life. Thanks to data from the European Space Agency's Herschel Space Observatory, scientists have found that ultraviolet light from stars plays a key role in creating these molecules, rather than "shock" events that create turbulence, as was previously thought.
Scientists studied the ingredients of carbon chemistry in the Orion Nebula, the closest star-forming region to Earth that forms massive stars. They mapped the amount, temperature and motions of the carbon-hydrogen molecule (CH, or "methylidyne" to chemists), the carbon-hydrogen positive ion (CH+) and their parent: the carbon ion (C+). An ion is an atom or molecule with an imbalance of protons and electrons, resulting in a net charge.
"On Earth, the sun is the driving source of almost all the life on Earth. Now, we have learned that starlight drives the formation of chemicals that are precursors to chemicals that we need to make life," said Patrick Morris, first author of the paper and researcher at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center at Caltech in Pasadena.
In the early 1940s, CH and CH+ were two of the first three molecules ever discovered in interstellar space. In examining molecular clouds -- assemblies of gas and dust -- in Orion with Herschel, scientists were surprised to find that CH+ is emitting rather than absorbing light, meaning it is warmer than the background gas. The CH+ molecule needs a lot of energy to form and is extremely reactive, so it gets destroyed when it interacts with the background hydrogen in the cloud. Its warm temperature and high abundance are therefore quite mysterious.
Why, then, is there so much CH+ in molecular clouds such as the Orion Nebula? Many studies have tried to answer this question before, but their observations were limited because few background stars were available for studying. Herschel probes an area of the electromagnetic spectrum -- the far infrared, associated with cold objects -- that no other space telescope has reached before, so it could take into account the entire Orion Nebula instead of individual stars within. The instrument they used to obtain their data, HIFI, is also extremely sensitive to the motion of the gas clouds.
One of the leading theories about the origins of basic hydrocarbons has been that they formed in "shocks," events that create a lot of turbulence, such as exploding supernovae or young stars spitting out material. Areas of molecular clouds that have a lot of turbulence generally create shocks. Like a large wave hitting a boat, shock waves cause vibrations in material they encounter. Those vibrations can knock electrons off atoms, making them ions, which are more likely to combine. But the new study found no correlation between these shocks and CH+ in the Orion Nebula.
Herschel data show that these CH+ molecules were more likely created by the ultraviolet emission of very young stars in the Orion Nebula, which, compared to the sun, are hotter, far more massive and emit much more ultraviolet light. When a molecule absorbs a photon of light, it becomes "excited" and has more energy to react with other particles. In the case of a hydrogen molecule, the hydrogen molecule vibrates, rotates faster or both when hit by an ultraviolet photon.
It has long been known that the Orion Nebula has a lot of hydrogen gas. When ultraviolet light from large stars heats up the surrounding hydrogen molecules, this creates prime conditions for forming hydrocarbons. As the interstellar hydrogen gets warmer, carbon ions that originally formed in stars begin to react with the molecular hydrogen, creating CH+. Eventually the CH+ captures an electron to form the neutral CH molecule.
"This is the initiation of the whole carbon chemistry," said John Pearson, researcher at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, and study co-author. "If you want to form anything more complicated, it goes through that pathway."
Scientists combined Herschel data with models of molecular formation and found that ultraviolet light is the best explanation for how hydrocarbons form in the Orion Nebula.
The findings have implications for the formation of basic hydrocarbons in other galaxies as well. It is known that other galaxies have shocks, but dense regions in which ultraviolet light dominates heating and chemistry may play the key role in creating fundamental hydrocarbon molecules there, too.
"It's still a mystery how certain molecules get excited in the cores of galaxies," Pearson said. "Our study is a clue that ultraviolet light from massive stars could be driving the excitation of molecules there, too."
Herschel is a European Space Agency mission, with science instruments provided by consortia of European institutes and with important participation by NASA. While the observatory stopped making science observations in April 2013, after running out of liquid coolant as expected, scientists continue to analyze its data. NASA's Herschel Project Office is based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. JPL contributed mission-enabling technology for two of Herschel's three science instruments. The NASA Herschel Science Center, part of IPAC, supports the U.S. astronomical community. Caltech manages JPL for NASA.
More information about Herschel is available at:
http://www.herschel.caltech.edu
http://www.nasa.gov/herschel
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Herschel
2016 The THIRD Year of "CERTAIN Uncertainty" ™ / Meteors, Asteroids, Comets, and MORE!!
Showing posts with label JPL/NASA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label JPL/NASA. Show all posts
19 July 2015
The Latest Worldwide Meteor/Meteorite News 19JUL2015
Hillary Clinton sounds the alarm on meteor/ites
politico.com / by Nick Glass- 7/16/15 3:31 PM EDT
...the Democratic front-runner said experts should be mapping meteorites and asteroids “on a security basis,” noting the importance of scientific research and development in stimulating the U.S. economy.... #asteroids #threat #NationalSecurityIssue #HillaryClinton #NASA
An asteroid worth a potential US$ 5.4 TRILLION is set to pass by Earth on Sunday night
politico.com / by Nick Glass- 7/16/15 3:31 PM EDT
...the Democratic front-runner said experts should be mapping meteorites and asteroids “on a security basis,” noting the importance of scientific research and development in stimulating the U.S. economy.... #asteroids #threat #NationalSecurityIssue #HillaryClinton #NASA
An asteroid worth a potential US$ 5.4 TRILLION is set to pass by Earth on Sunday night
Posted to YouTube by nemesis maturity 17,224 views
Published on Jul 17, 2015
Asteroid 2011 UW158 is going to pass 30 times closer than the nearest planet on July 19 at around 10pm
Do we have an actual defense in place against meteor/asteroids/comets if they collide with Earth?
Reddit
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Phoenix Astronomical Society
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The Latest Worldwide Meteor/Meteorite News 17JUL2015
Latest Worldwide Meteor/Meteorite News - Blogger
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Meteor Seen From The Top Of Grassy Mountain by llpj04
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Caption: The elevations in the Little Switzerland area range from 3200 feet in the village to 4000 feet at the top of Grassy Mountain. Views of Table ...
California Meteor 17JUL2015 at 8:10pm
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2015 The SECOND Year of "CERTAIN Uncertainty" ™ / Meteors, Asteroids, Comets, and MORE!!
Asteroid 2011 UW158 is going to pass 30 times closer than the nearest planet on July 19 at around 10pm
Do we have an actual defense in place against meteor/asteroids/comets if they collide with Earth?
I know that its been in many Science Fiction movies, how we can just blow up meteors. But I'm wondering if there is a real solution if something...
UFO sightings in Manitoba date back to 1792, Report - News of the World - First
Canada News
“The next morning we went to see what marks this meteor had made on the ice, but could not discover that a single particle was marked.”.
Perseus Meteor Shower Peak
Phoenix Astronomical Society
Perseus Meteor Shower Peak From 5 days prior to 5 days after the Peak date of any Meteor Shower, you can see a collection of Meteors.
The Latest Worldwide Meteor/Meteorite News 17JUL2015
Latest Worldwide Meteor/Meteorite News - Blogger
The Perseid meteor shower happens yearly between July 17 and August 24. It is one of the brightermeteor showers of the year. It tends to peak .
Meteor Seen From The Top Of Grassy Mountain by llpj04
Weather Underground
Caption: The elevations in the Little Switzerland area range from 3200 feet in the village to 4000 feet at the top of Grassy Mountain. Views of Table ...
California Meteor 17JUL2015 at 8:10pm
I just saw a meteor from Riverside! I thought it was just a falling star, but then the "tail" appeared & it turned a blue/green color. A tree then...
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Etsy
Maybe you have seen one of the alarming videos and emails circulating around the internet claiming that the End is Nigh. The claim is that an ...
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30 April 2010
Asteroids 2010 Scheduled MAY-SEP 2010
NEOs Scheduled Close Approaches
by JPL/NASA for MAY-SEP 2010*
* subject to update without notice!
For more information see the JPL/NASA site:
http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/ca/
by JPL/NASA for MAY-SEP 2010*
* subject to update without notice!
For more information see the JPL/NASA site:
http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/ca/
| Object Name | Close Approach Date | Miss Distance (LD) |
| (2010 GU6) | 2010-May-01 | 49.7 |
| (2007 TD71) | 2010-May-01 | 74.5 |
| (2009 YF) | 2010-May-02 | 58.1 |
| (2010 GT6) | 2010-May-02 | 53.0 |
| (2007 DB61) | 2010-May-02 | 35.0 |
| (2009 WA) | 2010-May-03 | 77.1 |
| (2010 HV20) | 2010-May-04 | 36.6 |
| (2010 HS20) | 2010-May-05 | 30.3 |
| (2010 GU21) | 2010-May-05 | 8.0 |
| (2010 FA81) | 2010-May-05 | 17.7 |
| (2008 TE) | 2010-May-06 | 45.3 |
| (2009 BD) | 2010-May-07 | 9.1 |
| (2010 GA24) | 2010-May-09 | 20.0 |
| (2010 AF30) | 2010-May-10 | 69.2 |
| (2008 JP) | 2010-May-14 | 54.7 |
| (2003 FY6) | 2010-May-15 | 54.7 |
| (2003 HR32) | 2010-May-17 | 55.2 |
| (2010 FC81) | 2010-May-18 | 18.2 |
| (2002 XQ40) | 2010-May-18 | 45.2 |
| (2009 YT6) | 2010-May-20 | 50.8 |
| (2004 JX20) | 2010-May-20 | 58.1 |
| (2009 LD) | 2010-May-26 | 41.3 |
| 152978 (2000 GJ147) | 2010-May-29 | 73.2 |
| (2005 GB120) | 2010-May-30 | 67.3 |
| (2010 GA34) | 2010-May-31 | 16.4 |
| (2010 FH81) | 2010-Jun-01 | 47.4 |
| (1999 MN) | 2010-Jun-04 | 13.0 |
| (2004 KH17) | 2010-Jun-05 | 32.8 |
| 234061 (1999 HE1) | 2010-Jun-05 | 29.9 |
| 162120 (1998 SH36) | 2010-Jun-12 | 59.7 |
| (2007 XB10) | 2010-Jun-13 | 27.8 |
| (2007 DD) | 2010-Jun-17 | 33.3 |
| (2009 UD) | 2010-Jun-23 | 64.3 |
| (2007 CS5) | 2010-Jun-24 | 22.5 |
| (2008 YC3) | 2010-Jun-24 | 12.2 |
| (2008 WM64) | 2010-Jun-24 | 24.8 |
| (2010 HC) | 2010-Jun-27 | 46.7 |
| 154590 (2003 MA3) | 2010-Jun-27 | 28.8 |
| (2005 ED318) | 2010-Jun-28 | 27.1 |
| (2005 QC5) | 2010-Jun-29 | 58.9 |
| (2005 WE) | 2010-Jul-02 | 51.4 |
| (2009 HU44) | 2010-Jul-02 | 57.6 |
| (2008 YJ3) | 2010-Jul-10 | 40.0 |
| (2008 UP100) | 2010-Jul-11 | 34.3 |
| (2009 BD) | 2010-Jul-12 | 10.6 |
| (2002 LT24) | 2010-Jul-14 | 56.1 |
| (2002 BF25) | 2010-Jul-18 | 10.5 |
| (2008 NP3) | 2010-Jul-19 | 26.8 |
| (2008 VK14) | 2010-Jul-19 | 75.5 |
| (2006 BX7) | 2010-Jul-21 | 66.1 |
| (2009 PC) | 2010-Jul-22 | 48.5 |
| (2006 KL21) | 2010-Jul-23 | 33.4 |
| (2001 OT) | 2010-Jul-23 | 54.8 |
| 85989 (1999 JD6) | 2010-Jul-27 | 53.9 |
| (2003 MJ4) | 2010-Jul-31 | 62.9 |
| (1994 CB) | 2010-Jul-31 | 35.2 |
| (2002 QY6) | 2010-Jul-31 | 55.6 |
| (2007 ML13) | 2010-Aug-03 | 75.3 |
| 6239 Minos | 2010-Aug-10 | 38.3 |
| (2002 AV31) | 2010-Aug-11 | 73.0 |
| (2007 YT56) | 2010-Aug-11 | 41.6 |
| (2002 AC9) | 2010-Aug-13 | 19.0 |
| (2005 NZ6) | 2010-Aug-14 | 60.5 |
| (2007 EH) | 2010-Aug-14 | 75.6 |
| (2010 CB55) | 2010-Aug-15 | 18.6 |
| (2004 SC56) | 2010-Aug-18 | 33.5 |
| (2010 FO92) | 2010-Aug-19 | 59.1 |
| (2008 OS9) | 2010-Aug-23 | 73.6 |
| (2000 QV7) | 2010-Aug-24 | 58.9 |
| (2007 DS7) | 2010-Aug-26 | 37.2 |
| (2007 DD) | 2010-Aug-28 | 32.0 |
| (2002 EY2) | 2010-Aug-30 | 42.1 |
| 85640 (1998 OX4) | 2010-Aug-31 | 73.4 |
| 154029 (2002 CY46) | 2010-Sep-02 | 63.8 |
| (2007 VG189) | 2010-Sep-13 | 67.5 |
| (2010 EX11) | 2010-Sep-26 | 50.1 |
| (2009 SH2) | 2010-Sep-30 | 7.1 |
12 March 2010
4486 Mithra- 12March 2010 Earth Asteroid Approach
(click on image to englarge) (c) JPL/NASA
Asteroid 4486 Mithra March 12, 2010 as it passes
| Near Earth Asteroids Encounters from NASA-JPL MARCH 2010 Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs On March 4, 2010 there were 1105 potentially hazardous asteroids. March 2010 Earth-asteroid encounters: Notes: LD means "Lunar Distance." 1 LD = 384,401 km, the distance between Earth and the Moon. 1 LD also equals 0.00256 AU. MAG is the visual magnitude of the asteroid on the date of closest approach. Source: NASA-JPL/CalTech
http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/ Mithra - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithra - Cached Mithraic Mysteries - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Mithraic Mysteries or Mysteries of Mithras (also Mithraism) was a ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithraic_Mysteries 4486 Mithra - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 4486 Mithra is an Apollo and Mars-crosser asteroid. ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4486_Mithra | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
24 August 2009
Meteorite News- Jumping Asteroids 24AUG09
Jumping Asteroids
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/features.cfm?feature=2286
Jumping Asteroids
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
August 18, 2009
How our solar system was formed has fascinated scientists and laymen
alike for -- well, for a really, really long time. New research may have
answered a piece to the puzzle - how big were the first planetesimals?
For those of you scoring at home," planetesimals" were the first solid
objects in our newly minted solar system (also known as the
protoplanetary disk). They began life as small grains of dust orbiting
an infant sun. These grains would bump into each other, clump together
and gradually form larger grains of dust, which eventually became small
space rocks.
Now the theory goes that some of these small rock-sized planetesimals
aspired for greater things, and continued to gradually grow in size to
become asteroids, and that a few of those continued to grow beyond the
asteroid stage and become planets.
The problem with this tidy little theory is that when the burgeoning
space rocks grew to about one meter (3.3 feet) in size, orbital
mechanics tells us the gas comingling with them in the protoplanetary
disk should have acted like a brake, slowing their velocity appreciably.
Their orbital speed having been cut, these filing cabinet-sized space
rocks would have spiraled into the sun. Essentially, the gas would have
acted as a celestial "mini-vacuum." The problem is, there are asteroids
up there in space. Honest, ask any astronomer. So what happened?
Evidence is now mounting that these small space rocks quickly "jumped"
(or grew) in size from below one meter to multi-kilometer in size.
Planetesimals that big were big enough to plow through the drag created
by the gas in the protoplanetary disk without having their orbits
appreciably altered. Hence they did not spiral into the sun.
What data point to a jump in asteroid sizes? Simply, the asteroids
available for viewing in the night's sky. Telescopic surveys indicate
there is currently a plethora of asteroids less than one kilometer (.62
mile) wide but those over one kilometer drop considerably in number. The
authors used computer simulations in an attempt to mimic the impacts and
coagulation processes that took place over the millions of years between
when the asteroids formed and now. The only way they could arrive at the
current asteroid size distribution was to begin these simulations with
planetesimals that quickly morphed into asteroids hundreds of kilometers
in size. Once their growth spurt was over, these massive celestial
bodies began an epoch-sized game of demolition derby as they orbited the
sun. Over the eons, and with each extraterrestrial pileup, came fewer
and fewer large asteroids - a fragmentation process that continues to
this day. Despite the modest sizes of asteroids today, the paper's
authors conclude that asteroids must have been born big.
The paper, "Asteroids Were Born Big" is available now online from the
ScienceDirect website and will be available in a future edition of the
journal Icarus.
For more information about asteroids and other near-Earth objects please
visit: www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroidwatch .
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/features.cfm?feature=2286
Jumping Asteroids
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
August 18, 2009
How our solar system was formed has fascinated scientists and laymen
alike for -- well, for a really, really long time. New research may have
answered a piece to the puzzle - how big were the first planetesimals?
For those of you scoring at home," planetesimals" were the first solid
objects in our newly minted solar system (also known as the
protoplanetary disk). They began life as small grains of dust orbiting
an infant sun. These grains would bump into each other, clump together
and gradually form larger grains of dust, which eventually became small
space rocks.
Now the theory goes that some of these small rock-sized planetesimals
aspired for greater things, and continued to gradually grow in size to
become asteroids, and that a few of those continued to grow beyond the
asteroid stage and become planets.
The problem with this tidy little theory is that when the burgeoning
space rocks grew to about one meter (3.3 feet) in size, orbital
mechanics tells us the gas comingling with them in the protoplanetary
disk should have acted like a brake, slowing their velocity appreciably.
Their orbital speed having been cut, these filing cabinet-sized space
rocks would have spiraled into the sun. Essentially, the gas would have
acted as a celestial "mini-vacuum." The problem is, there are asteroids
up there in space. Honest, ask any astronomer. So what happened?
Evidence is now mounting that these small space rocks quickly "jumped"
(or grew) in size from below one meter to multi-kilometer in size.
Planetesimals that big were big enough to plow through the drag created
by the gas in the protoplanetary disk without having their orbits
appreciably altered. Hence they did not spiral into the sun.
What data point to a jump in asteroid sizes? Simply, the asteroids
available for viewing in the night's sky. Telescopic surveys indicate
there is currently a plethora of asteroids less than one kilometer (.62
mile) wide but those over one kilometer drop considerably in number. The
authors used computer simulations in an attempt to mimic the impacts and
coagulation processes that took place over the millions of years between
when the asteroids formed and now. The only way they could arrive at the
current asteroid size distribution was to begin these simulations with
planetesimals that quickly morphed into asteroids hundreds of kilometers
in size. Once their growth spurt was over, these massive celestial
bodies began an epoch-sized game of demolition derby as they orbited the
sun. Over the eons, and with each extraterrestrial pileup, came fewer
and fewer large asteroids - a fragmentation process that continues to
this day. Despite the modest sizes of asteroids today, the paper's
authors conclude that asteroids must have been born big.
The paper, "Asteroids Were Born Big" is available now online from the
ScienceDirect website and will be available in a future edition of the
journal Icarus.
For more information about asteroids and other near-Earth objects please
visit: www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroidwatch .
05 August 2009
Worldwide Meteor/Meteorite News- NASA to Provide Web Updated on NEOs 1AUG09 5AUG09
NASA to Provide Web Updates on Objects Approaching Earth Saturday, August 1, 2009 5:56 AM
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2009-115
NASA to Provide Web Updates on Objects Approaching Earth
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
July 29, 2009
PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is introducing a
new Web site that will provide a centralized resource for information on
near-Earth objects - those asteroids and comets that can approach Earth.
The "Asteroid Watch" site also contains links for the interested public
to sign up for NASA's new asteroid widget and Twitter account.
"Most people have a fascination with near-Earth objects," said Don
Yeomans, manager of NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office at JPL. "And
I have to agree with them. I have studied them for over three decades
and I find them to be scientifically fascinating, and a few are
potentially hazardous to Earth. The goal of our Web site is to provide
the public with the most up-to-date and accurate information on these
intriguing objects."
The new Asteroid Watch site is online at
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroidwatch .
It provides information on NASA's missions to study comets, asteroids
and near-Earth objects, and also provides the basic facts and the very
latest in science and research on these objects. News about near-Earth
object discoveries and Earth flybys will be available and made
accessible on the site via a downloadable widget and RSS feed. And for
those who want to learn about their space rocks on the go, a Twitter
feed is offered. "Asteroid Watch" also contains a link to JPL's more
technical Near-Earth Objects Web site, where many scientists and
researchers studying near-Earth objects go for information.
"This innovative new Web application gives the public an unprecedented
look at what's going on in near-Earth space," said Lindley Johnson,
program executive for the Near-Earth Objects Observation program at NASA
Headquarters in Washington.
NASA supports surveys that detect and track asteroids and comets passing
close to Earth. The Near-Earth Object Observation Program, commonly
called "Spaceguard," also plots the orbits of these objects to determine
if any could be potentially hazardous to our planet.
JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
DC Agle 818-393-9011
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
agle@jpl.nasa.gov
2009-115
_________________________
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2009-115
NASA to Provide Web Updates on Objects Approaching Earth
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
July 29, 2009
PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is introducing a
new Web site that will provide a centralized resource for information on
near-Earth objects - those asteroids and comets that can approach Earth.
The "Asteroid Watch" site also contains links for the interested public
to sign up for NASA's new asteroid widget and Twitter account.
"Most people have a fascination with near-Earth objects," said Don
Yeomans, manager of NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office at JPL. "And
I have to agree with them. I have studied them for over three decades
and I find them to be scientifically fascinating, and a few are
potentially hazardous to Earth. The goal of our Web site is to provide
the public with the most up-to-date and accurate information on these
intriguing objects."
The new Asteroid Watch site is online at
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroidwatch
It provides information on NASA's missions to study comets, asteroids
and near-Earth objects, and also provides the basic facts and the very
latest in science and research on these objects. News about near-Earth
object discoveries and Earth flybys will be available and made
accessible on the site via a downloadable widget and RSS feed. And for
those who want to learn about their space rocks on the go, a Twitter
feed is offered. "Asteroid Watch" also contains a link to JPL's more
technical Near-Earth Objects Web site, where many scientists and
researchers studying near-Earth objects go for information.
"This innovative new Web application gives the public an unprecedented
look at what's going on in near-Earth space," said Lindley Johnson,
program executive for the Near-Earth Objects Observation program at NASA
Headquarters in Washington.
NASA supports surveys that detect and track asteroids and comets passing
close to Earth. The Near-Earth Object Observation Program, commonly
called "Spaceguard," also plots the orbits of these objects to determine
if any could be potentially hazardous to our planet.
JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
DC Agle 818-393-9011
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
agle@jpl.nasa.gov
2009-115
_________________________
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