Learn about how scientists predict whether an asteroid will hit our planet. Then, learn about at least one reason to get excited about math, from popular mathematics writer and Cornell University Professor Steven Strogatz. In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following story from Curiosity.com about how scientists predict whether an asteroid will hit Earth: https://curiosity.im/32UduSd Additional resources from Steven Strogatz: “Infinite Powers: How Calculus Reveals the Secrets of the Universe” on Amazon — https://amazon.com Additional publications — https://amazon.com Steven Strogatz official website — http://www.stevenstrogatz.com/ Cornell University profile — https://math.cornell.edu/steven-strogatz Google Scholar profile — https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=FxyRWlcAAAAJ Follow @stevenstrogatz on Twitter — https://twitter.com/stevenstrogatz Download the FREE 5-star Curiosity app for Android and iOS at https://curiosity.im/podcast-app. And Amazon smart speaker users: you can listen to our podcast as part of your Amazon Alexa Flash Briefing — just click “enable” here: https://curiosity.im/podcast-flash-briefing.
Learn about how scientists predict whether an asteroid will hit our planet. Then, learn about at least one reason to get excited about math, from popular mathematics writer and Cornell University Professor Steven Strogatz.
In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following story from Curiosity.com about how scientists predict whether an asteroid will hit Earth: https://curiosity.im/32UduSd
Additional resources from Steven Strogatz:
Download the FREE 5-star Curiosity app for Android and iOS at https://curiosity.im/podcast-app. And Amazon smart speaker users: you can listen to our podcast as part of your Amazon Alexa Flash Briefing — just click “enable” here: https://curiosity.im/podcast-flash-briefing.
Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/steven-strogatz-helps-you-get-excited-about-math-plus-how-scientists-predict-asteroid-impacts
CODY: Hi! We’re here from curiosity-dot-com to help you get smarter in just a few minutes. I’m Cody Gough.
ASHLEY: And I’m Ashley Hamer. Today, you’ll learn about how scientists predict whether an asteroid will hit our planet. Then, you’ll learn about at least one reason to get excited about math, from popular mathematics writer and Cornell University professor Steven Strogatz.
CODY: Let’s satisfy some curiosity.
How Do Scientists Predict Whether an Asteroid Will Hit Earth? — https://curiosity.im/32UduSd (Ashley)
How do scientists predict whether and astroid will hit the Earth? It turns out there are actually a bunch of ways! So let’s talk about how asteroid hunters around the world scour the skies for icy comets and rocky asteroids.
I use the general term “hunters” because it’s not just full-time scientists who are on the case. For example, take the free initiative called Hubble Asteroid Hunters on the citizen scientist platform Zooniverse. They used images from the Hubble Space Telescope, which has taken lots of pictures of really big objects that are really far away. The thing is, once in a while, an astroid photobombs those pictures. Those asteroid snapshots can be annoying because they block us from seeing stuff that’s far away — but they’re pretty useful if you’re studying how asteroids move in space. So the Zooniverse initiative used images like those, taken from the European Space Agency's Hubble Science archive. And thousands of people looked at those telltale streaks to better predict the paths of asteroids through space — including whether that path might hit our planet. More than 1,300 separate trails were identified from some 300-thousand observations, and a lot of them came from ordinary people just like you and me (assuming you’re an “ordinary person,” of course). The project is now complete, but Zooniverse is always leading other projects like it that you can get involved with.
Of course, full-time scientists are on the case, too, and there are some active missions to help us learn more about asteroids right now. NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is camped out around asteroid Bennu, and it’ll come back around 2023 with a precious sample of material. Scientists should be able to study it to figure out what asteroids are made of. And that’ll make it easier for us to figure out how to deflect the ones we catch coming our way. NASA also plans to test asteroid deflection with a mission called the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART. For that mission, NASA will send a spacecraft to the double-asteroid 65803 Didymos, and try to slightly change the orbit of the smaller asteroid by slamming an impactor into it. Take that, asteroid! The team will keep an eye on the deflected asteroid's orbit both from the ground and through a European mission called Hera.
NASA is working hard to classify all city-killing asteroids that would have threatening orbits and a diameter of at least 140 meters (460 feet). Right now, we've only found about a third of the estimated population, but NASA says their search is going to ramp up with the launch of new telescopes like the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, and an asteroid-hunting telescope they just announced that’ll launch in 2024. Even though there’s a lot of sky for us to keep an eye on, you can sleep easy knowing that asteroid hunters around the world are pitching in to help us stay safe.
[MOVA GLOBES]
CODY: Today’s episode is sponsored by Mova Globes: rotating globes powered by light.
ASHLEY: Mova Globes use a technology that’s the first of its kind, with hidden magnets that provide movement. No batteries or messy cords needed; they’re globes that turn when they’re exposed to ambient light.
CODY: There are 40 different designs, including world maps, famous works of art, and outer space.
ASHLEY: [ad lib about how a spinning asteroid won’t hit us]. The Mova Globes team worked with JPL on their Vesta Asteroid globe design, and they worked directly with a member of the Cassini Mission to create the design for the Titan Moon Globe.
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Steven Strogatz 4 - What got Steven into calculus and applied math? [3:45] 11/25
How can you get excited about math? How can you get your KIDS excited about math? We don’t have a one-size-fits-all answer, but we do know the story of what got one notable mathematician curious about math. So we thought we’d share it so you can see if it resonates with you. Popular mathematics writer and Cornell University professor Steven Strogatz is the author of “Infinite Powers: How Calculus Reveals the Secrets of the Universe.” And here he is with a fun story to wrap up our Monday Math mini-series.
[CLIP 3:45]
That story makes it pretty obvious why Steven Strogatz was inspired to write a book called “Infinite Powers: How Calculus Reveals the Secrets of the Universe.” And whether it’s hearing his story on today’s podcast or reading his book, we hope that you found a little inspiration, too. You can find a link to the book and more from Steven in today’s show notes.
ASHLEY: Okay, so what got us excited about today’s episode?
[ad lib optional]
CODY: Today’s first story was written by Elizabeth Howell, and edited by Ashley Hamer, who’s the managing editor for Curiosity.com.
ASHLEY: Scriptwriting was by Cody Gough and Sonja Hodgen. Curiosity Daily is produced and edited by Cody Gough.
CODY: Join us again tomorrow to learn something new in just a few minutes.
ASHLEY: And until then, stay curious!