# @nasa on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CQwaM7SFB8l
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/11733391-nasa-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/5f3a87e892.jpg
- **Posted:** 2021-06-30T19:40:26.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** NASA (@NASA) — https://gondola.cc/NASA

## Caption

Can you spot the asteroids? 🔍⁣
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Hint: look for the series of dots to find the asteroid tracks among the stars! Each dot in a track shows one asteroid, captured at different times as it marched across the sky. There are over a hundred asteroids in this view over 30 light-years across, as well as over 2,500 stars, and clouds of gas and dust.⁣
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The data in this image was captured in 2010 by a space telescope originally known as the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). WISE's mission was to survey the entire sky in infrared wavelengths, detecting asteroids, dim stars, and some of the faintest galaxies visible in deep space. WISE completed its primary mission when it depleted its cryogenic coolant and it was put into hibernation in February 2011. ⁣
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In December 2013, we reactivated WISE, renamed it NEOWISE, and gave it a new mission: to identify asteroids and comets in our solar system, with special attention to those that pass close to Earth’s orbit. NEOWISE has provided an estimate of the size of over 1,850 near-Earth objects, helping us better understand our nearest solar system neighbors. It's also made 1,130,000 confirmed infrared observations of approximately 39,100 objects throughout the solar system.⁣
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Today, we announced that NEOWISE has been given a two-year mission extension to continue its hunt for asteroids and comets until June 2023. ⁣
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Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA⁣
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#Infrared #Asteroids #AsteroidDay #PlanetaryScience

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## Tags

asteroidday, asteroids, infrared, planetaryscience

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