Delivering the Latest Asteroid News
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics | 2016 Sep 20
Have you ever wondered what piece of cosmic debris is whizzing past the Earth right now? Do you crave up-to-the-minute information about asteroids large and small? Well you're in luck because today you can subscribe to a new service: the Daily Minor Planet.
Developed through a partnership between scientists at the Minor Planet Center and volunteers from the Oracle Corporation, the Daily Minor Planet will deliver reports on the latest asteroid happenings straight to your inbox. ...
The Daily Minor Planet's name cleverly combines the title of the fictional newspaper home of Superman's Clark Kent, the Daily Planet, with the historical name of asteroids, or minor planets. In a nod to the real-life newspaper world, it will be available in two HTML formats: classic and modern.
Almost every day, a known asteroid passes within a few million miles of Earth. On those dates, the Daily Minor Planet will list the flyby asteroid along with the time and distance of its closest approach. On days without a cosmic flyby, the report will feature a newly discovered asteroid. It will also highlight an article from the popular press.
The Daily Minor Planet continues a collaboration that began with Asteroid Explorers, a website designed to increase public awareness of asteroids and their impact and risks to the world. That website's interactive tools allow visitors to investigate questions like "Which asteroids have the highest risk of impacting Earth?" and "Which asteroids are easiest to travel to?" ...
