Thread by @OU_SPS

To mark #AsteroidDay, we’ve got a whole day of #asteroid content ready for you. Stay on board to learn how and why we study asteroids with spacecraft, and how we protect Earth from them colliding with us. We'll even look at #SpaceMining!

#AsteroidDay was founded by astrophysicist @DrBrianMay, Astronaut Rusty Schweickart Filmmaker @GrigRichters; and B612 President Danica Remy, to encourage the public and governments to learn more about asteroids and the role they play in our Solar System.

#AsteroidDay marks the anniversary of the largest asteroid impact in recorded history, Tunguska, 1908. Such impacts are part of the reason scientists study asteroids, working on resources to search for and deflect asteroids from Earth-crossing orbits.
asteroidday.org/about/

@esa have a 24 hour #AsteroidDay live-stream at 11am BST feat. @OU_SPS Public Engagement Officer @StarkeyStardust alongside leading asteroid experts @Katie_H_Joy, @FitzsimmonsAlan and Detlef Koschny, as well as astronaut @AstroLucaFans and @DrBrianMay.
asteroidday.org/resources/aste…

You might wonder how asteroids get their names. This @OUFreeLearning article by @daverothery, Professor of Volcanology and Planetary Science, might be able to answer your questions.
open.edu/openlearn/scie…

Did you know that some people have asteroids named after them? One of them is Asteroid 4731 “Monicagrady”, named after Professor of Planetary Sciences in @OU_SPS @monicaGrady. You can read more about her here.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monica_Gr…

Asteroids are small Solar System objects, the largest is Ceres, also designated as a dwarf planet. But we mustn’t forget about comets, which are also small objects orbiting the Sun with the potential to hit Earth. But what’s the difference between a comet and an asteroid?

This handy @NASA poster pdf download might be good for your kids (and you) to take a look at to find out how to tell the difference between a comet and asteroid.
spaceplace.nasa.gov/review/posters…

There’s more in this @StarTalkRadio podcast (primarily aimed at adult audience) when @starkeystardust chatted with @neiltyson about #comets and #asteroids, #Chelyabinsk and #Oumuamua (an interstellar visitor), which makes good #AsteroidDay entertainment.
startalkradio.net/show/cosmic-qu…

Sometimes pieces of asteroids collide with our planet, just like in #Chelyabinsk in 2013. In this video, Lecturer in Planetary Science, @AshleyJKing85 talks about how we can catch these rocks on camera.
Video suitable for high school students and above.

Want to learn more about #meteorites? These are the rocks that land on Earth from space. Many come from asteroids, allowing us to learn about the early Solar System. @AshleyJKing85 has you covered again with this introduction to meteorites.

That completes the 1st of our 3 tweet threads for #AsteroidDay. Later today we’ll be tweeting about near-Earth asteroids, and some of the space missions our researchers are involved in that are visiting them. Stay tuned for more and join in the conversation.