More than 25,000 new asteroids have been discovered in just six months by Nasa’s newest space telescope. The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) has discovered 95 of these asteroids are classified as ‘near-Earth' objects, meaning roughly 30 million miles from the planet. WISE completed its first survey of the entire sky on Saturday and has generated more than one million images so far, of everything from asteroids to distant galaxies. The infrared telescope is also good at spotting comets that orbit far from Earth and has discovered more than a dozen of these so far. WISE's infrared vision also gives it a unique ability to pick up the glow of cool stars, called brown dwarfs, in addition to distant galaxies bursting with light and energy. These galaxies are called ultra-luminous infrared galaxies. Some of these images have been processed and stitched together into a new picture that shows the Pleiades cluster of stars, also known as the Seven Sisters, resting in a tangled bed of wispy dust. (Daily Mail)Monday 19 July 2010
Nasa telescope spots 25,000 new asteroids in just six months... and 95 are close to Earth
More than 25,000 new asteroids have been discovered in just six months by Nasa’s newest space telescope. The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) has discovered 95 of these asteroids are classified as ‘near-Earth' objects, meaning roughly 30 million miles from the planet. WISE completed its first survey of the entire sky on Saturday and has generated more than one million images so far, of everything from asteroids to distant galaxies. The infrared telescope is also good at spotting comets that orbit far from Earth and has discovered more than a dozen of these so far. WISE's infrared vision also gives it a unique ability to pick up the glow of cool stars, called brown dwarfs, in addition to distant galaxies bursting with light and energy. These galaxies are called ultra-luminous infrared galaxies. Some of these images have been processed and stitched together into a new picture that shows the Pleiades cluster of stars, also known as the Seven Sisters, resting in a tangled bed of wispy dust. (Daily Mail)