Robot Astronomy: Earth-threatening Asteroids

NASA Spitzer's IRrelevant Astronomy (Episode 3): Robot Astronomy Talk Show - Earth-threatening Asteroids.

Will an asteroid strike the Earth and wipe out all life as we know it? IR-2 and his robotic crew make random phone calls to find out. IRrelevant Astronomy - It's infrared-relevant!

Asteroids, sometimes called minor planets or planetoids, are small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun, especially in the inner Solar System; they are smaller than planets but larger than meteoroids.

The term "asteroid" has historically been applied primarily to minor planets of the inner Solar System, as the outer Solar System was poorly known when it came into common usage. The distinction between asteroids and comets is made on visual appearance: Comets show a perceptible coma while asteroids do not.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asteroid

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IRrelevant Astronomy is a video podcast feed produced by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Unlike many other podcasts, it is set up more like a television network, with multiple series and stand-alone videos released on this single "channel."

To date, the content included on the feed has all incorporated animation in some manner, and generally tends to be comedic. The "IR" in the title stands for "infrared", meaning the title actually refers to "infrared-relevant astronomy."

In October 2008, IRrelevant Astronomy was nominated for "Best Technology/Science Podcast" at the 2008 Podcast Awards. It was one of 10 finalists in this category following a nomination process that included 281,000 votes.

In October 2009, the IRrelevant Astronomy episode "Psych Out" was an official selection at the 2nd annual Imagine Science Film Festival.

• http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/
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