Speaking of asteroids…
“An Asteroid As Big As the Vatican.” This title arrested me. Instantly I realized that I should write about it here. How could I overlook it?
Dr. Bruce Betts never stops marveling at the Universe. As Director of Science and Technology for The Planetary Society, he’s been explaining astronomy for a long time.
A particular specialty is his “Random Space Facts” feature. He seizes upon one idea and presents it briefly, in a tongue-and-cheek manner.
I’m familiar with Random Space Facts from listening for years to the Planetary Radio podcast and radio show; I’ve learned that the feature dates back to Betts’s answering machine in the 1990s.
In recent months, Betts has brought Random Space Facts to video. Among the short clips on the Planetary Society’s Web site, I found one shot in the heart of Rome:
A most unexpected connection between planetary science and the Vatican!
Here Dr. Betts tells more of the story behind Random Space Facts.
If you have an appetite for further goofy but informative moments, the RSF Youtube playlist is here.
More about the Hayabusa spacecraft’s mission to asteroid Itokawa here.
