SCI Talk: Asteroid Detection & Defense

Join us for a thrilling deep dive into the fascinating world of asteroid tracking and detection. Our journey begins with the surprising events of February 15th, 2013, as astronomers and citizens awaited the close pass of an asteroid called Duende, only for an unexpected fireball to explode over Russia that same day. From there we'll explore how scientists detect and assess the risk of potential asteroid impacts, as well as how previous impacts and near misses--such as the close flyby of asteroid 2019 OK, spotted mere hours before its nearest approach have taught us valuable lessons and led to improvements in detection methods.

Through real-world encounters, we’ll uncover the evolving science of asteroid detection, the challenges of identifying these elusive space rocks, and the strategies being developed to protect our planet from future impacts.

This presentation is led by our Planetarium and Science Educator, Shannon Silverman, who studies high-energy astrophysics with a particular focus on neutron stars. She is a graduate of the University of North Dakota and the University of North Florida.