Asteroid Impact

Remember that asteroid that was supposed to pass harmlessly by the Earth on Sunday? Well, things didn't go exactly as planned... Apparently, a meteor hit Nicaragua late Saturday night, forming a 12 meter wide crater. This would be a small chunk to make a crater that little. It has not been confirmed yet, but there is a strong possibility that this meteor was associated with 2014 RC. NPR quotes AP which quotes a Nicaraguan government official as saying the meteor "appears to have come off an asteroid that was passing close to Earth." NPR also quotes the BBC which quotes another astronomer…
Posted to the homepage on August 11, 2013. The Moon—like the sun, stars and Earth—is easy for a human being to take for granted.  But the Earth's moon is truly exceptional, and should be appreciated for shaping the exceptional world we live on.  Earth is the only planet with a single moon, and relative to the Earth, Luna is the largest moon in the solar system.  The Moon thus exerts a strong, solitary influence on the planet it was torn from.  Evidence suggests that the Moon was blown into orbit by a massive asteroid impact about 4.5 billion years ago, shortly before the emergence of life on…