Asteroids
Steven Dutch, Natural and Applied Sciences,
University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
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Discovering asteroids is out of control (in a good way). The first four asteroids were
discovered in 1801, 1802, 1804 and 1807, then no more until 1845. Since 1847,
there has not been a year without a discovery.
There were 100 by 1868, 200 by 1879, 500 by 1903, 1000 by 1923, and 2000 by
1960.
By then, the counting gets murky because asteroids are not assigned a number
until their orbits are well determined. Asteroids 1998-2001 were discovered in
1938, 1973, 1960 and 1973, respectively. By 1981 the count was 3000, 4000 by
1989 and 5000 by 1987. Interspersed among these are often clusters of
discoveries decades old that were finally rediscovered and tracked conclusively.
By 1997 the count was 10,000, 20,000 by 2000, and 30,000 the next year. By
the end of 2002 it was over 65,000. Improved automated search techniques and
satellite imagery, and just a touch of beginning to take the impact hazard
seriously, account for the explosive rate of discovery. The count topped 100,000
in early 2005.
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Husdon, R. Scott; Ostro, Steven J. Shape of asteroid 4769 Castalia (1989 PB) from inversion
of radar images Science v263 p940-3 February 18 1994
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Castalia revealed Sky and Telescope v87 p11 May 1994
Galileo spies Ida Sky and Telescope v86 p9 December 1993
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Chapman, Clark R.; Morrison, David Impacts on the Earth by asteroids and comets:
assessing the hazard Nature v367 p33-40 January 6 1994
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Cowen, Ron First image: Ida's moon stars on film Science News v145 p214 April 2 1994
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Burnham, Robert Here's looking at Ida Astronomy v22 p38-9 April 1994
- Binzel, Richard P.; Xu, Shui; Bus, Schelte J. Discovery of a main-belt asteroid resembling
ordinary chondrite meteorites Science v262 p1541-3 December 3 1993
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Asteroid-meteorite links--at last! Sky and Telescope v86 p11 November 1993
- Not just a big, boring rock--a space rock Discover v15 p18 February 1994
- Melosh, H. J.; Nemchinov, I. V. Solar asteroid diversion Nature v366 p21-2 November 4
1993
- Hiroi, Takahiro; Pieters, Carle M.; Zolensky, Michael E. Evidence of thermal metamorphism
on the C, G, B, and F asteroids Science v261 p1016-18 August 20 1993
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Kerr, Richard A. Galileo reveals a badly battered Ida Science v262 p33 October 1 1993
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Watson, Traci When worlds don't collide: Earth escapes Science v261 p159 July 9 1993
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Galileo looks at Ida Astronomy v21 p18 December 1993
- Rabinowitz, D. L.; Gehrels, T.; Scotti, J. V. Evidence for near-Earth asteroid belt Nature v363
p704-6 June 24 1993
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Kerr, Richard A. A source found for Earth's commonest meteorites Science v261 p427 July
23 1993
- Chyba, Christopher F. Explosions of small Spacewatch objects in the Earth's atmosphere
Nature v363 p701-3 June 24 1993
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An asteroid buzzes Earth (1993 KA[sub2]) Sky and Telescope v86 p9 September 1993
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Gaspra's magnetic personality Sky and Telescope v86 p11-12 July 1993
- McKinnon, William B. Solar system: vestal voyagers unveiled (meteorites from the asteroid
Vesta) Nature v363 p211-12 May 20 1993
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Asteroid collision causes extinction Geotimes v38 p6-7 April 1993 Discussion. v38 p4 Je
1993
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Powell, Corey S. Asteroid hunters Scientific American v268 p34+ April 1993
- Tunguska: an asteroid Sky and Telescope v85 p15 March 1993
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A glimpse of "two"-tatis Sky and Telescope v85 p8 March 1993
Binzel, Richard P.; Xu, Shui
- Chips off of asteroid 4 Vesta: evidence for the parent body of
basaltic achondrite meteorites Science v260 p186-91 April 9 1993
- Gaffey, Michael J. Forging an asteroid-meteorite link Science v260 p167-8 April 9
- Talcott, Richard Toutatis seen with radar (contact-binary asteroid) Astronomy v21 p36-7
April 1993
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Asteroid Gaspra surprises astronomers Astronomy v21 p20-1 April 1993
- Toutatis is a binary asteroid Astronomy v21 p18 March 1993
- MacRobert, Alan M. A tiny visitor departs (4179 Toutatis) Sky and Telescope v85 p76+
January 1993
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Kerr, Richard A. A lumpy Gaspra hints at a shattering secret Science v259 p28 January 1
1993
- MacRobert, Alan M. Toutatis performs a near-earth flyby Sky and Telescope v84 p673-5
December 1992
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Ahrens, Thomas J.; Harris, Alan W. Deflection and fragmentation of near-Earth asteroids
(review article) Nature v360 p429-33 December 3 1992
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Belton, M. J. S.; Veverka, J.; Thomas, P. Galileo encounter with 951 Gaspra: first pictures of
an asteroid Science v257 p1647-52 September 18 1992
- Binzel, Richard P.; Xu, Shui; Bus, Schelte J. Origins for the near-Earth asteroids Science
v257 p779-82 August 7 1992
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Kerr, Richard A. A battered Gaspra revealed Science v256 p1622 June 19 1992
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King, Trude V. V.; Clark, R. N.; Calvin, W. M. Evidence for ammonium-bearing minerals on
Ceres Science v255 p1551-3 March 20 1992
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Matthews, Robert A rocky watch for Earthbound asteroids (sidebar: Giving a nudge to an
asteroid) Science v255 p1204-5 March 6 1992
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Kerr, Richard A. Galileo hits its target Science v254 p1109 November 22 1991
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Kerr, Richard A. Galileo's frustrating asteroid pursuit Science v254 p381-2 October 18
1991
- Ostro, S. J.; Campbell, D. B.; Chandler, J. F. Asteroid 1986 DA: radar evidence for a metallic
composition Science v252 p1399-404 June 7 1991
- Margolis, Stanley V.; Claeys, Philippe; Kyte, Frank T. Microtektites, microkrystites, and
spinels from a late Pliocene asteroid impact in the Southern Ocean Science v251
p1594-7 March 29 1991
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Kerr, Richard A. Dinosaurs and friends snuffed out? (New paleontological evidence favoring
catastrophic impact) Science v251 p160-2 January 11 1991
- Ostro, Steven J.; Chandler, John F.; Hine, Alice A. Radar images of asteroid 1989 PB Science
v248 p1523-8 June 22 1990
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Kerr, Richard A. The great asteroid roast: was it rare or well-done? Science v247 p527-8
February 2 1990
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Kerr, Richard A. Largest radar detects dumbbell in space Science v246 p999 November 24
1989
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Vilas, Faith; Gaffey, Michael J. Phyllosilicate absorption features in main-belt and
outer-belt asteroid reflectance spectra Science v246 p790-2 November 10 1989
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Kerr, Richard A. Asteroid and comet dust in space . . . and in the laboratory Science v241
p1603-4 September 23 1988
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Kerr, Richard A. Another asteroid has turned comet Science v241 p1161 September 2
1988
- Cruikshank, D. P.; Brown, R. H. Organic matter on asteroid 130 Elektra Science v238
p183-4 October 9 1987
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Kerr, Richard A. No satellites of asteroids Science v237 p250 July 17 1987
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Kerr, Richard A. IRAS puts astronomers out of (one) business Science v235 p30-1 January
2 1987
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Kerr, Richard A. More clues to asteroid-dead comet connections Science v235 p29-30
January 2 1987
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Kerr, Richard A. Where are all the satellites of asteroids? Science v230 p1026-7 November
29 1985
- Ostro, Steven J.; Campbell, Donald B.; Shapiro, Irwin I. Mainbelt asteroids: dual-polarization
radar observations Science v229 p442-6 August 2 1985
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McFadden, Lucy A.; Gaffey, Michael J.; McCord, Thomas B. Near-earth asteroids: possible
sources from reflectance spectroscopy Science v229 p160-3 July 12 1985
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Kerr, Richard A. Could an asteroid be a comet in disguise? Science v227 p930-1 February
22 1985
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Powell, Corey S. Asteroid hunters Scientific American v268 p34+ April 1993
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Powell, Corey S. Rocky rendezvous (image of Gaspra asteroid from Galileo spacecraft)
Scientific American v266 p20 January 1992
- Binzel, Richard P.; Barucci, M. Antonietta; Fulchignoni, Marcello The origins of the asteroids
Scientific American v265 p88-94 October 1991
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Created 13 January 1998, Last Update 13 January 1998
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