Comets, Asteroids and Meteors - Vagabonds of the Solar System:   Presented by Larry Ciupik

Comet Panstarrs and brighter Comet ISON will grace the evening sky this year and might provide an awesome spectacle. But, on February 15th an unknown 10,000-ton asteroid streaked into Earth's atmosphere over Russia and exploded, injuring over a thousand people. Meanwhile, astronomers all over the world prepared for the close approach of another unrelated asteroid.

Why did the Chelyabinsk asteroid remain undetected? How often should we expect these hits or near misses? How many vagabond objects does the solar system contain? What should we do to discover more?

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