Fact Sheet
Neighborhood Watch
Astronomers at McDonald Observatory and elsewhere are keeping a close eye on asteroids that could someday collide with Earth. These are the "Near-Earth" asteroids, and include Eros, which is shown in this 2001 image from the NEAR-Shoemaker mission. These chunks of rock and metal can be up to several miles in diameter. Their orbits cross or come close to Earth's orbit, so they could someday slam into Earth. Such a collision could have catastrophic effects on a local, regional, or global level. Finding and tracking these asteroids will help astronomers determine if and when any of them may menace Earth. [NASA/JHU-APL]
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