Feeling somewhat frustrated during UK lockdown 3.0, I picked up Robert Heinlein's Time Enough for Love, to read again. In the Intermission, Excerpts from the Notebooks of Lazarus Long, Heinlein's character sets out a list of skills of the competent man — what he thinks a human being should be able to do. If I …
The Size of Psyche
In 2022, NASA and Arizona State University will send a spacecraft to investigate the unique asteroid (16) Psyche, an assumed metal-rich body about the size of Switzerland orbiting in the asteroid belt at an average distance of 2.9 AU from the Sun. What is unique about asteroid Psyche is that it may, perhaps, be the …
The Largest Objects in the Asteroid Belt
A useful graphic showing the largest objects in the asteroid belt — the first 22 objects in decreasing size from dwarf planet 1 Ceres to 7 Iris ...
It’s the Size of Texas
Inspired by five words, or is it six, in the 1998 blockbuster Armageddon — a movie about an asteroid the size of Texas on course to destroy Earth in 18 days (and a team of deep core drillers sent to break the asteroid in two) — I wondered whether there were any quantifiable clues in …
Goliath Season 4: Precap
One year ago, Amazon announced that its legal drama Goliath starring Billy Bob Thornton as underdog lawyer Billy McBride had been renewed for one final season, then coronavirus arrived — so when will Season 4 be with us? We do know that production has restarted. Rumour has it that Season 4 will be released in …
Every Asteroid and Comet Disaster Movie Ever Made
Compiling a list of every asteroid and comet disaster movie ever made is no easy feat. First, you need to identify potential candidates. Then you have to watch them all, which can be somewhat harder than finding them. Much like asteroids and comet themselves, there's a whole spectrum of content in these dramas, from the …
Continue reading "Every Asteroid and Comet Disaster Movie Ever Made"
Scent from Heaven
Apparently, if you smell a fresh meteorite it smells like sulphur, according to reports about the Tagish Lake meteorite and the aroma that filled the air during its fall in 2000. And the Aguas Zarcas meteorite that fell in Costa Rica in 2019 has been said to smell of compost, vanilla and Brussels sprouts, depending …
Asteroids and Comets Visited by Spacecraft
Graphics showing all of the asteroids and comets visited by spacecraft...
Asteroid vs Comet
From active asteroids to dormant comets, rubbile piles to remnant cores, main belt comets and manx comets to ambiguous interstellar objects, this article provides a brief overview of the smaller objects in our planetary zoo and the main differences — and similarities — between asteroids and comets. But if it's meteors you're looking for, read …
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