How Much Should We Really Worry About Asteroids?

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By Eric Larson2014-01-29 17:12:18 UTC

Tracking asteroids and patrolling the skies is a fascinating field — one that blends traditional science with the imagination-capturing realm of space rocks. The tales we heard in a story we published on Tuesday were compelling, inspiring and downright eerie. And the discussions aren't over just yet.

In a Google Hangout on Wednesday, we'll be joined by Dr. Denton Ebel, curator of meteorites at the Museum of Natural History in New York City; Tim Spahr, director of the Minor Planet Center (MPC) in Cambridge, Mass.; and Sergey Khaibrakhmanov, a Ph.D. candidate in physics and witness to the meteorite that exploded above Chelyabinsk, Russia, in February.

See also: 1,058 People Are Serious About Living on Mars Until They Die

We'll talk about what each of them specializes in, how it relates to asteroid-tracking and ultimately move closer to answering the question: Should we really be worried about asteroids?

Join our Hangout, above, starting at 1:15 p.m. ET. Do you have any questions you'd like answered? Share them in the comments below and we'll try to include them.

Topics: Google Hangouts, space, US & World, Videos, World

Image: NASA