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The first asteroid ever discovered - Carrie Nugent

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TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

Over the course of history, we’ve discovered hundreds of thousands of asteroids. But how do astronomers discover these bits of rock and metal? How many have they found? And how do they tell asteroids apart? Carrie Nugent shares the story of the very first asteroid ever discovered and explains how asteroid hunters search for these celestial bodies.

Why should we continue to discover asteroids?

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TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Carrie Nugent
  • Director Biljana Labović
  • Animator Reza Riahi
  • Designer Reza Riahi
  • Composer Nicolas Martigne
  • Sound Designer Nicolas Martigne
  • Photographer NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA
  • Associate Producer Jessica Ruby
  • Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Narrator Susan Zimmerman

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