Fossil With Skin Uncovered From the Asteroid’s Earth-Shattering Strike

Above, Thescelosaurus neglectus. Image by Nobu Tamura.

A fossil with skin from a dinosaur that is well-preserved has been found. It also is further proof that a mass extinction of the dinosaurs were caused by a meteor or asteroid hitting the Gulf of Mexico.

From AnimalsAroundTheGlobe:

Scientists have just made a mind-blowing discovery: a fossil dating back to the day the asteroid caused the mass extinction hit the Earth 66 million years ago. Found in North Dakota, it includes the leg of a thescelosaurus, complete with skin still intact! This dino fossil is so well-preserved, that it looks better than I do after a full night’s sleep. It’s an incredible find that everyone in the science world is talking or doubting about.

To read more, go here. 

NASA To Nudge Asteroid In Test

Above, scenes from "Panic In The Sky" the most popular episode of Adventures of Superman.

"That's a meteor, king-sized!" - Perry White (John Hamilton) in "Panic In The Sky", Adventures of Superman (1953).

Well, Earth isn't exactly threatened by any specific asteroid, but NASA isn't taking any chances and is testing a defense against asteroids that could hit our planet. 

From CBS News:

NASA's upcoming mission might resemble a scene from a sci-fi disaster movie. The agency announced Sunday that it's sending spacecraft above the Earth to crash into an asteroid's moonlet to change the body's trajectory. 

The mission, a Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), will be the first agency's use of the kinetic impactor technique, in which a large, high-speed spacecraft is sent into an asteroid's path to change its motion. NASA is set to conduct the mission, what it calls "the first test for planetary defense," on November 24, the day before Thanksgiving, to hit the binary near-Earth asteroid Didymos and its moonlet, Dimorphos.

Hopefully, the mission won't screw up and send the moonlet hurtling right into Washington, D. C. But then, on second thought, maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing. Just kidding!

To read more, go here. 

Fireball Over Japan

A big fireball was seen over Japan Tuesday night and it was caught from several vantage points with video cameras.

NHK World reported:

Skies over Japan were lit up Tuesday night by what appears to have been a meteor. It was seen in Odawara, west of Tokyo, and other areas. The National Astronomical Observatory of Japan said it was probably a fragment of an asteroid that burned up in the Earth's atmosphere.

Maybe it's a Toho publicity stunt announcing that King Ghidorah is arriving in Japan?

Videos of the fireball can be seen here.

Panic In The Sky: Asteroid To Pass By Earth, Can Be Seen With Binoculars

Jeepers, Chief!

A big asteroid will be passing by Earth tomorrow night and, with good binoculars, people will be able to observe it.

According to Disclose.tv:

January 25, 2015 - An asteroid the size five football fields is approaching Earth and is expected to pass by on Monday. It will be visible through strong binoculars – definitely worth getting; the next time such an asteroid could be this close again will be in 2027. 

At the closest point to the Earth, asteroid 2004 BL86 will be at a distance of 1.2 million kilometers which – approximately three times the distance from the Earth to the moon. Estimated to be 0.5 km in diameter, it is classified by scientists as potentially dangerous.

Above, you won't need a big telescope like this, just a good pair of binoculars. 

Read more: http://www.disclose.tv/news/As_big_as_five_football_fields_MASSIVE_ASTERIOD_to_be_visible_from_Earth_in_just_a_DAY/113314#ixzz3PvTEoDIg

Today's "Panic In The Sky"

Above, the meteor over Russia.

Astronomical news is making a big "splash" in the media today.

First, the story of a 150-foot asteroid passing within 17,000 from Earth this morning.  This is closer than some satellites.  Thankfully, the big rock won't strike out planet.

NBC News Cosmic Log has some streaming video.  To view it, go here.

Above, the asteroid from the 1953 "Adventures of Superman" episode, "Panic In The Sky."

Next, even more spectacularly, is the explosion of a 10-ton meteor over Russia's Ural Mountains.  About 1,000 people in Russia were injured when a meteor exploded with the power of an atomic bomb.  The explosion's shock waves (sonic boom) sent glass shards and debris flying, causing injuries to people who ran to their windows to see what the bright flash the meteor gave off was.

Fox News has a full report with photos and videos here.