NASA experts answer questions about asteroids for Apophis Day

Yesterday was Yuri's Night, when I celebrate the promise of space. Today is Apophis Day, when I report on the perils of space, especially asteroids. I'm featuring a series from NASA's archives that I could have used in 2022, but Russia's invasion of Ukraine intruded. It's time to make up for a missed opportunity, beginning with Will an Asteroid Ever Hit Earth? We Asked a NASA Scientist.

Will an asteroid ever hit Earth? There are no known impact threats, but tiny meteors burn up in Earth’s atmosphere all the time! NASA asteroid expert Dr. Kelly Fast tells us more. Learn more about NASA’s planetary defense efforts: nasa.gov/planetarydefense

Technically, the answer is yes; small meteors burn up in Earth's atmosphere all the time. That relates to the answer to When Was the Last Time an Asteroid Hit Earth? We Asked a NASA Expert.

When was the last time an asteroid hit Earth? Small asteroids and other tiny particles bombard our planet daily, but almost all of them burn up safely in the atmosphere. Bigger impacts are extremely rare, but scientists like Marina Brozovic are keeping their eyes on the sky.

Again, small particles are hitting the atmosphere, burning up, and falling to the ground all the time. Ones large enough to cause damage and harm people? Marina Brozovic mentioned the last major one, which I blogged about in Russian meteor one year later and In Russia, space explores you! That's a once in a century event, so we're not likely to see another like it this century. That's the point of Is NASA Aware of Any Earth-Threatening Asteroids? We Asked a NASA Expert.

Is NASA aware of any Earth-threatening asteroids? Luckily there are no known asteroid threats to Earth for at least 100 years. But that doesn’t mean we’re not looking. Asteroid expert Davide Farnocchia of our@NASAJPL breaks it down.

That's reassuring. So is Does NASA Know About All the Asteroids? We Asked a NASA Scientist.

Does NASA know about ALL the asteroids? We know about the vast majority of larger ones and none of those pose a threat, but space is big, so we're always on the lookout. NASA asteroid expert Dr. Amy Mainzer explains.

The answer is no, not yet, but NASA is working on it.

Of course, the "so what?" question is What if an Asteroid Were Going to Hit Earth? We Asked a NASA Scientist.

There are no known threats to Earth, but NASA asteroid expert Dr. Kelly Fast says it’s important to find the asteroids before they find us. That’s why NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office keeps its eyes on the skies.

This video explains DART, which was a success and one of the reasons 2022 was another great year in space. Proof of concept!

I will have more about asteroids on Asteroid Day. Until then, stay tuned for this year's edition of Marching music for the Wyoming Democratic Caucuses. Troopers!