Asteroids, Meteors, and Cosmic Close Calls

Asteroids, Meteors, and Cosmic Close Calls

Every day, Earth is bombarded by material from space, from microscopic dust grains to house-sized asteroids. Most burn harmlessly in our atmosphere as brilliant meteors, but occasionally a larger object creates a spectacular fireball and even a sonic boom. In this talk, we’ll explore where asteroids come from, how they differ from meteors and meteorites, what scientists have learned from studying these ancient remnants of the solar system, and h…