New comet discovered – C/2013 L2 (Catalina)

New comet discovered – C/2013 L2 (Catalina)

New discovery of an apparently asteroidal object with cometary features was announced on June 9, 2013 (CBET 3548). New comet (discovery magnitude ~19.6) was found by R. A. Kowalski on CCD images obtained with the Catalina Sky Survey 0.68-m Schmidt telescope

Asteroid’s Record-Breaking Brush with Earth Changed It Forever

Asteroid’s Record-Breaking Brush with Earth Changed It Forever

A tiny asteroid that zipped by Earth this month made the closest-ever approach to our planet without hitting it, an encounter that changed its place in our solar system forever, NASA scientists say. The asteroid, called 2011 CQ1, came within 3,400 miles (5,471