When viewing the animation below look at the lower left of the video window, it shows the survey beginning from 1980 with the number of known asteroids . As the video progresses through to 1990 we begin to see many more having been discovered, which is a definite outcome of technological innovation, that is, as automated sky scanning systems come online.
"Notice now the pattern of discovery follows the Earth around its orbit, most discoveries are made in the region directly opposite the Sun. You'll also notice some clusters of discoveries on the line between Earth and Jupiter, these are the result of surveys looking for Jovian moons.
At the beginning of 2010 a new discovery pattern becomes evident, with discovery zones in a line perpendicular to the Sun-Earth vector. These new observations are the result of the WISE (Widefield Infrared Survey Explorer) which is a space mission that's tasked with imaging the entire sky in infrared wavelengths." from the notes attached to the video.
Heck, wasn't that so dam daunting ?
But possibly no where as daunting as the stuff we've already left up there ?
Friday 27 August 2010
Insane number of Asteroids discovered since 1980
Labels:
Animations,
Astronomy,
Outer Space,
Science,
Technology,
Video
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