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What are near-Earth asteroids made of? NAU researchers are about to find out

Space

In the vast expanse of space, an estimated one million Near Earth Objects (NEOs), also known as near-Earth asteroids, are constantly orbiting close to our planet. Every night, astronomers track NEOs and discover new ones, noting how fast they’re traveling, how large they are and where they’re headed. Because of their work, world leaders could get advance warning if one of these celestial objects is on a collision course with Earth, helping prepare for calamity.

But there’s one thing astronomers don’t yet know, something that could be key to defending Earth from dangerous collisions: how to quickly identify what an NEO is made of.�





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