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Asteroid or comet, dinosaur impact firestorms, crater discovery, and Q&A on exoplanets and satellites
Andrew Dunkley is joined by Professor Jonti Horner of the University of Southern Queensland for two tightly related Space Nuts conversations. The first explores how astronomy keeps blurring the lines between asteroids and comets, what new research says about the dinosaur-killing impact, and a surprising crater found by an amateur astronomer planning a trip. The second is a listener Q&A covering exotic exoplanet weather, space regulation, and whether planets can form without a star.
Key topics
In this episode, Andrew and Jonti explain why astronomy often uses tidy labels for objects that sit on a continuum, especially when the line between asteroid and comet gets blurry.
They discuss near-Earth object 1998 SH2, which appears to have comet-like activity despite looking asteroid-like for decades.
Jonti breaks down how outgassing can nudge a small body off its predicted path, revealing non-gravitational forces.
The dinosaur-killing impact is revisited with new modelling suggesting the first hours after impact may have included global firestorms, not just long-term climate collapse.
The show covers the terminology debate around meteor, meteorite, fireball, bolide, asteroid, and comet impact.
A Canadian amateur astronomer, Joel LePointe, is credited with spotting a likely impact crater while planning a camping and hiking trip using satellite imagery.
The newly identified crater near Lake Marcel in northern Quebec is described as about 390 million years old and roughly 25 kilometers wide.
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