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Johns Hopkins University (JHU) continues to pad its space community résumé with their interactive map, “The map of the observable Universe”, that takes viewers on a 13.7-billion-year-old tour of the cosmos from the present to the moments after the Big Bang. While JHU is responsible for creating the site, additional contributions were made by NASA, the European Space Agency, the National Science Foundation, and the Sloan Foundation.
We've collected, computed, or inferred important data such as asteroid mass and composition from multiple scientific sources. With this information, we estimate the costs and rewards of mining asteroids. Details on orbits and basic physical parameters are sourced from the Minor Planet Center and NASA JPL. Composition data is based on spectral classification and size. Our calculations incorporate conclusions from multiple scientific publications in addition to cross-referencing known meteorite data.
Map showing TB145’s position for an observer in the north central U.S. at 15-minute intervals starting at 5:00 UT.
Subtract 4 hours from UT for EDT, 5 hours for CDT, 6 for MDT and 7 for PDT. Stars are shown to magnitude +12 and north is up in all maps.
The asteroid is depicted as a small target. Click to enlarge, then save and make a print out for use at the telescope.
Credit: Chris Marriott’s SkyMap software
Map showing the asteroid’s progress across the horns of Taurus from 9-10:45 UT (4 – 5:45 a.m.) October 31st.
It passes about 1° northwest of the Crab Nebula around 10:30 UT.
Credit: Chris Marriott’s SkyMap
The view from the southern U.S. (about 32° latitude) from 11-11:45 UT. Compared to the northern U.S.,
the asteroid’s path lies about 5 arc minutes further to the north.
Credit: Chris Marriott’s SkyMap
By this time, TB145 will be around magnitude +10.4 and easier to see than at the start our run.
The map covers the time from 11-11:45 UT (6 – 6:45 a.m. CDT).
Credit: Chris Marriott’s SkyMap
Map showing TB145’s approximate path starting at 4 hours UT on Oct. 31 (11 p.m. CDT Oct. 30). This view faces east. Tick marks show its hourly position.
This map provides context for the detailed maps above.
Credit: Chris Marriott’s SkyMap
Hubble image of the galaxy cluster Abell 370, showing the trails caused by 22 Near-Earth Asteroids. Credit: NASA, ESA, and B. Sunnquist and J. Mack (STScI) Acknowledgment: NASA, ESA, and J. Lotz (STScI) and the HFF Team
Artist’s impression of a Near-Earth Asteroid passing by Earth. Credit: ESA
in the Main Asteroid Belt, there are a number of larger bodies that have defied traditional classification. The largest among them is Ceres, which is followed by Vesta, Pallas, and Hygeia. Until recently, Ceres was thought to be the only object in the Main Belt large enough to undergo hydrostatic equilibrium – where an object is sufficiently massive that its gravity causes it to collapse into a roughly spherical shape.
Artist�s concept of the Dawn spacecraft arriving at Vesta. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Vesta is one of the largest asteroids in the Solar System. Comprising 9% of the mass in the Asteroid Belt,
it is second in size only to the dwarf-planet Ceres. And now, thanks to data obtained by NASA�s Dawn spacecraft,
Vesta�s surface has been mapped out in unprecedented detail.
These high-resolution geological maps reveal the variety of Vesta�s surface features and provide a window into the asteroid�s history.
Vesta shape model from high-altitude mapping orbit(From planetary.org)
This high-res geological map of Vesta is derived from Dawn spacecraft data. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
The brown colored sections of the map represent the oldest, most heavily cratered surface. Purple colors in the
north and light blue represent terrains modified by the Veneneia and Rheasilvia impacts, respectively. Light purples and
dark blue colors below the equator represent the interior of the Rheasilvia and Veneneia basins. Greens and yellows represent
relatively young landslides or other downhill movement and crater impact materials, respectively.
by MORGAN REHNBERG on JANUARY 26, 2015
The asteroid Vesta as seen by the Dawn spacecraft. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCAL/MPS/DLR/IDA
I don�t think I ever learned one of those little rhymes � My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas �
to memorize the order of the planets, but if I had, it would�ve painted for me a minimalist picture of the solar system.
(Side question: what is my Very Educated Mother serving now that we only have Dwarf Pizzas?) After all,
much of the most exciting work in planetary science today happens not at the planets, but around them.
Artist�s concept of the Dawn spacecraft arriving at Vesta. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Vesta is one of the largest asteroids in the Solar System. Comprising 9% of the mass in the Asteroid Belt,
it is second in size only to the dwarf-planet Ceres. And now, thanks to data obtained by NASA�s Dawn spacecraft,
Vesta�s surface has been mapped out in unprecedented detail.
These high-resolution geological maps reveal the variety of Vesta�s surface features and provide a window into the asteroid�s history.
Artist rendition of Dawn spacecraft orbiting Vesta. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
This high-res geological map of Vesta is derived from Dawn spacecraft data. Brown colors represent the oldest, most heavily cratered surface. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
The planetoid Vesta, which was studied by the Dawn probe between July 2011 and September 2012. Credit: NASA
the brave new world of Vesta, courtesy of NASA's Dawn spacecraft. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCAL/MPS/DLR/IDA
Vesta and the planet(s)… looking east in early June 2018, about 45 minutes after sunset. Credit:Stellerium.org
The path of 4 Vesta through mid-September. Credit: Starry Night Education software.
The occultation footprint for the June 27th, 2018 event. Credit: Occult 4.2 software.
Ceres (left) and Vesta (right) imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope. Credit: NASA/HST/STl
The south pole Rheasilvia impact basin. Based on images obtained by NASA’s Dawn spacecraft, the lower false color map shows the elevation scale scooped out by an ancient impact. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA/PSI
Meteorites recovered on Earth, courtesy of 4 Vesta. Credit: NASA/University of Tennessee.
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Published on Feb 27, 2015 Produced in 2007, this overview video about NASA's Dawn mission to giant asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres
was released before the spacecraft's launch that year. The mission greatly appreciated Leonard Nimoy's support and participation.
Dawn investigated Vesta in 2011-2012, and will arrive at Ceres March 6, 2015. For more information about Dawn,
visit The dawn Mission
Astronomers using the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope have revealed that the asteroid Hygiea could be a dwarf planet. Find out more about this fascinating object in the new ESOcast Light. The video is available in 4K UHD. The ESOcast Light is a series of short videos bringing you the wonders of the Universe in bite-sized pieces. The ESOcast Light episodes will not be replacing the standard, longer ESOcasts, but complement them with current astronomy news and images in ESO press releases. More information and download options: Subscribe to ESOcast in iTunes! Receive future episodes on YouTube by pressing the Subscribe button above or follow us on Vimeo: Watch more ESOcast episodes: Find out how to view and contribute subtitles for the ESOcast in multiple languages, or translate this video on YouTube: Credit: ESO Directed by: Herbert Zodet. Editing: Herbert Zodet. Web and technical support: Gurvan Bazin and Raquel Yumi Shida. Written by: Vanessa Emeka-Okafor and Bárbara Ferreira. Music: tonelabs (www.tonelabs.com) – Expect The Unexpected. Footage and photos: ESO, P. Sěveček/Charles University, P. Vernazza et al./MISTRAL algorithm (ONERA/CNRS), Space Engine (spaceengine.org) and C. Malin (christophmalin.com). Scientific consultants: Paola Amico and Mariya Lyubenova. Caption author (Chinese (China)) 余庆抒 Caption author (Croatian) GemSirin Caption author (Chinese (Simplified)) cat calico Caption authors (Italian) Arianna Musso Barcucci Fausto Mescolini Caption author (Chinese (Taiwan)) Yawei C. Caption author (Portuguese) jmy Caption author (German) Joerg Schachner Caption author (Spanish (Latin America)) jota Reyes Caption author (Arabic) ImFahd Caption author (Vietnamese) Sang Mai Thanh Caption author (Greek) Maria Krikeli Category Science & Technology License Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed)
This animation shows where Hygiea’s orbit is in our Solar System. Like Ceres, Hygiea is in the main asteroid belt, which is located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. While Hygiea was thought to be an asteroid, new observations with the SPHERE instrument on the VLT have revealed that Hygiea is spherical in shape, meaning it could be reclassified as a dwarf planet. This would make it the smallest dwarf planet yet in our Solar System, after Ceres. More information and download options: Credit: ESO/spaceengine.org Category Science & Technology License Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed)
Computational simulation of the fragmentation and reassembly that led to the formation of Hygiea and its family of asteroids, following an impact with a large object. While changes in the shape of Hygiea occur after the impact, the dwarf-planet candidate eventually acquires a round shape. More information and download options: Credit: P. Ševeček/Charles University Category Science & Technology License Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed)
Published on Oct 30, 2015 This simulation shows the trajectory of the asteroid across the sky, showing tracer spheres spaced
at one hour intervals along its path. (A funny frame jump in the middle, apparently the moon got scared, but no time to fix.) Category Nonprofits & Activism License Standard YouTube License