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Indonesian Superbolide
October 27, 2009 | NASA Near Earth Object Program

“On October 8, 2009 about 03:00 Greenwich time, an atmospheric fireball blast was observed and recorded over an island region of Indonesia. The blast is thought to be due to the atmospheric entry of a small asteroid about 10 meters in diameter that, due to atmospheric pressure, detonated in the atmosphere with an energy of about 50 kilotons (the equivalent of 100,000 pounds of TNT explosives).” Quoted from the NASA press release. Fortunately the asteroid exploded in the atmosphere and did not cause any injury or damage.

Learn more about near-earth asteroids and how they are found.

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Ontario Meteorite Hits SUV
October 16, 2009 | CTV.ca

A resident of Grimsby, Ontario found a smashed windshield in her SUV and then heard reports that researchers were looking for meteorites from a fireball that passed over the town on September 25. A video of the fireball is below.

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Mars Rover Finds Another Meteorite
October 7, 2009 | NASA

NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity drove just 700 meters after finding the “Block Island” meteorite and spotted another! This one is about 47 centimeters long and has been named “Shelter Island”.

Related stories.
The Beddgelert Meteorite
September 21, 2009 | BBC

Sixty years ago today the Beddgelert Meteorite crashed through the roof of the Prince Llewelyn Hotel in Beddgelert, Wales. You can read the full story at the BBC website.

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Mars Crater Chain
September 8, 2009 | NASA

NASA has released thousands of new images from the Mars High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment. One of the new images is the Pit Crater Chain located south of Arisa Mons.

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Google Earth in the Classroom
August 25, 2009 | Google

Google Earth can be a great program to use in the classroom for both lecture demonstrations and student investigations. Google has a getting-started page with links to a number of resources. Google maps provide another opportunity for interactive learning.

Google maps of impact craters, San Andreas Fault, selected plate boundary features, state high points, sea level rise.

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Meteor Crater, Arizona
Impact Craters on Earth and the Moon
August 17, 2009 | Earth Observatory

Impact craters on the Earth are eroded rather quickly, but stay preserved for much longer on the Moon. This article details recent craters on both.

Related stories.
Perseids
Photos: Perseids Meteor Shower
August 16, 2009 | National Geographic News

National Geographic has a collection of images that illustrate the Perseids meteor shower.

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NASA Needs $ to Find Dangerous Asteroids
August 13, 2009 | Space.com

NASA needs between $800 million and $1 billion to find and track earth-crossing asteroids. Congress ordered NASA to perform this work but did not provide line-item funding.

Related stories.
NASA Image
Impact Between Planets Detected
August 13, 2009 | NASA

“Spitzer Space Telescope found evidence of what might be a planet collision which occurred a few thousand years ago. This planet impact was located about 100 light years from earth, near a star, HD 172555, which is still in the early stages of planet formation.” Quoted from the NASA press release.

Related stories.
Meteorites on Mars
August 12, 2009 | Geology.com / NASA

Photos of meteorites found by NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity and Spirit. These robots have found about 1/2 ton of meteorites in their travels in the short time that they have been driving around Mars.

Related stories.
Perseids Meteor Shower
How to Observe a Meteor Shower
August 11, 2009 | Geology.com

Find a place with a clear view of the entire sky. Dark areas well away from any city lights are best. Avoid places where vehicle headlights will momentarily dazzle you…. more…

Related stories.
Perseids
2009 Perseid Meteor Shower
August 9, 2009 | Astronomy Magazine

The 2009 Perseid meteor shower will peak between 1:30 PM and 4:00 PM EDT on August 12. This is during daylight hours but a smaller peak might occur at about 5:00 AM EDT, August 12.

Article: “How to Observe a Meteor Shower” by David Lynch.

Related stories.
Mars Rover Opportunity
Two-Foot Wide Meteorite on Mars
August 4, 2009 | MSNBC

The Mars Opportunity Rover has located a meteorite on Mars. Nicknamed “Block Island”, the rock is about two feet (61 centimeters) across.

Related stories.
Early Bombardments and Life
August 3, 2009 | Imperial College London

Large bombardments of meteorites approximately four billion years ago could have helped to make the early Earth and Mars more habitable for life by modifying their atmospheres.

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Diamonds Suggest Cosmic Impact
July 27, 2009 | University of Oregon, University of California, Santa Barbara

Lonsdaleite diamonds found on California’s Channel Islands are suggestive of a cosmic impact some 12,900 years ago. This impact is one of several theories on how some species became extinct at the end of the ice age.

Related stories.
Photo of a Meteor – Through a Telescope
July 27, 2009 | Mike's Astro Photos

You can see what might be the world’s first photograph of a meteor taken through a telescope at Mike’s Astro Photos. Instead of being a single streak there are multiple streaks of different size.

Related stories.
Jupiter Impact: Hubble Image
July 24, 2009 | NASA

“NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has taken the sharpest visible-light picture yet of atmospheric debris from an object that collided with Jupiter on July 19. NASA scientists decided to interrupt the recently refurbished observatory’s checkout and calibration to take the image of a new, expanding spot on the giant planet on July 23.” Quoted from the NASA news release.

Related stories.
NASA Confirms Jupiter Impact
July 20, 2009 | NASA

“Following up on a tip by an amateur astronomer, Anthony Wesley of Australia, that a new dark “scar” had suddenly appeared on Jupiter, this morning between 3 and 9 a.m. PDT (6 a.m. and noon EDT) scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., using NASA’s Infrared Telescope Facility at the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii, gathered evidence indicating an impact.”

Related stories.
Jupiter
Did Something Just Hit Jupiter?
July 20, 2009 | Bad Astronomy

An astronomer observing Jupiter from his home observatory noticed a new dark spot in the southern hemisphere of Jupiter – it looks like the dark spots produced by the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 impact. Phil Plait, author of Bad Astronomy, provides expert commentary on the possible causes of this new dark spot.

Related stories.
Noctilucent Clouds and the Tunguska Blast
July 6, 2009 | National Geographic

An article on the National Geographic website explores how noctilucent clouds (clouds that glow at night), thought to be produced by Space Shuttle launches, have helped researchers better understand the cause of the Tunguska Blast. Was it a comet or a rocky object?

Related stories.
Physics of Sand
June 29, 2009 | Wired Science

Scientists at the University of Chicago have discovered some interesting properties of sand by photographing it with high speed cameras. Instead of behaving like a grainy solid it behaves more like a fluid.

Related stories.
Spacecraft to Simulate Asteroid Impact
June 16, 2009 | National Geographic

The Hayabusa spacecraft is returning from its trip to retrieve samples from the Itokawa asteroid. As it enters Earth’s atmosphere, it will be simulating an asteroid impact itself – although the craft is expected to break apart before it reaches the surface.

Related stories.
German Boy Hit With a Meteorite
June 13, 2009 | Yahoo! News

The good news is that he was not severely injured. It was a pea-sized meteorite that grazed his hand on its way to the ground.

Related stories.
Collecting Meteorites
June 8, 2009 | Geology.com / Aerolite Meteorites

Geoffrey Notkin of Aerolite Meteorites shares some ideas for anyone interested in starting a meteorite collection. Although many people think that collecting meteorites will be an extremely expensive hobby, they are often pleasantly surprised to learn that lots of nice specimens can be purchased for about the same price as a science textbook.

Related stories.
Meteor crater
How Meteorites Affected Early Earth
June 4, 2009 | Imperial College London

Billions of years ago, Earth and Mars were hit with a barrage of meteorites. How did this affect the planets? Some speculations are revealed in this article from the Imperial College London.

Related stories.
1220 Pound Kansas Meteorite
May 12, 2009 | CNN

Another large meteorite has been dug up in Brenham Strewn Field in Kiowa County, Kansas. It is a bit short of Steve Arnold’s world record pallasite found in October, 2005.

Related stories.
Stony-Iron Meteorites – Great Photos
May 12, 2009 | Geology.com / Aerolite Meteorites

Geoffrey Notkin of Aerolite Meteorites has contributed another great article. This one explains stony-iron meteorites, the rarest of the three general meteorite classes.

Related stories.
Meteorite Men Trailer
May 8, 2009 | Meteorite Men

Want to learn a few secrets about finding meteorites? Your chance arrives on Sunday night at 9 PM ET/PTwhen the “Meteorite Men” premiers on Discovery’s Science Channel.

Additional show times.

Related stories.
Meteorite Men
May 7, 2009 | MeteoriteMen.com

For thousands of years meteorites have slammed into the earth’s surface, each one carrying an invaluable record of the very beginnings of the solar system. But finding meteorites, some buried over centuries by thick layers of dirt and sediment, is no easy task. This program features meteorite hunters Geoff Notkin and Steve Arnold, who have traveled the world for years and have found hundreds of meteorites.

World premiere: Sunday, May 10 at 9 PM (ET/PT).

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East Africa Rift The East Africa Rift System: Learn some basics about the East Africa Rift System from this article by James Wood and Alex Guth of Michigan Technological University.


meteorites What are Meteorites? Join meteorite hunter, Geoffrey Notkin, as he begins a series of monthly articles on the topic of meteorites.


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Mineral Rights Mineral Rights / Oil & Gas: Who owns the minerals under your land? Have they been sold? Can someone mine without your permission?


sliding rocks of racetrack playa Sliding Rocks of Racetrack Playa: How these rocks slide across a dry lake bed is a mystery. Learn what is thought to move them. © iStock / S. Hoerold


yosemite rockfall Spectacular Yosemite Rockfall:A photo sequence of the fall and debris avalanche by Herb Dunn.


coal through a microscope Coal Through a Microscope: Coal is more than a black rock. It's THE most interesting rock.



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