Out there
All the best science-y activities to enjoy over the coming weeks.
Incoming! Each of these dots is an asteroid strike, sized according to its energy of impact. Created using data from NASA’s Near-Earth Object Observations Program covering 1994 to 2013, the asteroids range in size from 1 to 20m. Fortunately, they all break up when they hit Earth’s atmosphere, arriving at the surface as far smaller meteorites. But these can still do some damage. See if you can spot the Chelyabinsk strike that exploded over southern Russia with a force equivalent to 500 kilotonnes of TNT in 2013 (clue: it’s the largest orange dot on the map).
New Views brings together 50 maps showing everything from lightning strikes and ant populations to religious diversity and the world nut trade. Accompanied by insights from social geographer Alastair Bonnett, the maps are beautiful to look at, and a timely reminder that our global connections are stronger than the borders which separate us.