Knowing where asteoid could help scientists to anticipate when the space rock is moving toward the Earth. Asteroid could be considered dangerous if it has a size too big and potentially hit the planet.
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| Artist's concept of NEOWISE. (Picture from: http://www.gizmag.com/) |
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| Diagram of NEOWISE. (Picture from: http://www.gizmag.com/) |
As reported by Telegraph on Wednesday, January 8, 2014, NASA's recently re-activate and re-named the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission as NEOWISE. The spacecraft is now hunting a potentially dangerous object crashed into the Earth.
Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) for the first time discovered the dangerous asteroids. The spacecraft has a duty to track comets and asteroids in space.
The spacecraft that ever stopped in 2011 because its primary mission has been completed. But in September 2013, it switched back and have a new mission to record the near-Earth object population.
NEOWISE discovered the asteroid with codenamed 2013 YP139. Unmanned spacecraft is orbiting the Earth to scan the sky, observing the asteroid several times during more than half a day.
NASA hopes that the 2013 YP139 will be the first of hundreds of asteroids that can be discovered by NEOWISE. " We are delighted to re-discover and charaterized the asteroids and comets, especially the asteroids that coming into the area of the Earth," said Amy Mainzer of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
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| 2013 YP139 showing up as a red dots in this composite picture indicate the location of the first new near-Earth asteroid seen by NASA's Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. (Picture from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) |
Researchers say, that the 2013 YP139 still within 27 million miles or 43 million kilometers from Earth. Scientists estimate the size of this asteroid has a diameter of 650 meters.. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | GIZMAG | TELEGRAPH]
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