Join the Celestial Police in their search for the "missing planet" between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars. Discover technological breakthroughs that revolutionized the study of asteroids.
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1530 - Nicholas Copernicus sparked controversy by challenging the widely accepted belief that the Earth was the center of the universe. Thinking Outside the Box! |
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1596 - Using physics and mathematics to study astronomy, Johannes Kepler concluded that there must be an undiscovered planet between Jupiter and Mars. Between
Jupiter and Mars, I Place a Planet |
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1608 - Breakthrough technology—the invention of the telescope—revolutionizes astronomy. Seeing Faraway Things as Though Nearby, Of Glass and Light |
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1801 - Giuseppe Piazzi, one of the Celestial Police who searched for the "missing planet," discovered Ceres. It Was a Dark and Starry Night |
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1802 - Astronomers were unable to verify Piazzi’s discovery until mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss developed a method for predicting where Ceres could be found. The Lost is Found |
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1802 - Months after the rediscovery of Ceres, amateur astronomer Wilhelm Olbers discovered Pallas. Astronomers began to question what else resided between Jupiter and Mars. Astronomical Serendipity |
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1807 - After Vesta was
discovered in March of 1807, no additional asteroids were
found until 1845, due to the technological limitations
of early 19th-century telescopes. What
Can You See With a Telescope? |
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1840 - New photographic technology was applied to astronomy for the first time in 1840 when a lasting image of the moon was captured. Silver to the Rescue |
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1845 - On December 8, 1845, amateur astronomer Karl Hencke accidentally discovered Astraea, ending the nearly 39-yearl lull and sparking a flurry of new asteroid discoveries. Astronomical Sport With Bigger and Better Telescopes |
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1950 - Between 1890 and 1930, a total of 1140 asteroids were discovered. Furthermore, from 1929 through the 1980s, new technologies emerged that benefited asteroid research. More Discoveries …Better Descriptions |
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1990 - Launching in April 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope offered astronomers, space enthusiasts, and the general public a “window on the universe.” I Can See
You More Clearly Now |
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1991 - The development of rocket and spacecraft technologies provided an opportunity to send unmanned or robotic spacecraft to gather data on asteroids Modern Era of Asteroid Study |
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2015 - Journey to the beginning of the Solar System with the Dawn mission as it explores Vesta and Ceres. Current Mission Status
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accountability report