2009 BD: Curious cosmic clump co-orbits Earth

William Atkins
Monday, 26 January 2009 19:59

Science - Space

The AstrorofsPage.com article, mentioned earlier, provides a very detailed article about asteroid 2009 BD and its relationship to Earth.

SpaceWeather.com also reports that measurements of the orbit of asteroid 2009 BD indicate that the asteroid will “remain in Earth’s neighborhood for many months and possibly years to come.”

To look at the “Orbit Diagram” of asteroid 2009 BD, go to the Solar System Dynamics website of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

To view the "Orbital Elements of 2009 BD", go to the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Research website.

For additional information about asteroid 2009 BD, go to the UniverseToday.com’s article “Strange Asteroid 2009 BD Stalks the Earth.”

Learn more about near-earth objects at the NearEarth Object Program webpage of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Pasadena, California).

The Planetary Society defines NEOs as "... meteoroids, asteroids, and comets whose orbits lie close to -- and sometimes cross -- Earth’s. Impact craters on Earth bear witness to the destructive potential of NEOs."

It continues, "The hazard posed by NEOs has captured the professional attention of not just astronomers but also geologists, biologists, mission planners, aerospace engineers, and even the United States Department of Defense. The public is increasingly aware that Earth resides within a cosmic shooting gallery. The crash of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 into Jupiter in 1994 provided proof that cosmic collisions do occur."