Asteroid discoveries over past 30 years visualized

This animation by the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center shows a beautiful view of the past 30 years of asteroid discoveries, using data culled by Ted Bowell et al.

View of the solar system showing the locations of all the asteroids starting in 1980, as asteroids are discovered they are added to the map and highlighted white so you can pick out the new ones.

The final colour of an asteroids indicates how closely it comes to the inner solar system. Earth Crossers are Red. Earth Approachers (Perihelion less than 1.3AU) are Yellow. All Others are Green

Notice now the pattern of discovery follows the Earth around its orbit, most discoveries are made in the region directly opposite the Sun. You'll also notice some clusters of discoveries on the line between Earth and Jupiter, these are the result of surveys looking for Jovian moons. Similar clusters of discoveries can be tied to the other outer planets, but those are not visible in this video.


via flowingdata.com

A Brief History of Cinematic Exorcisms

The religious method of cleansing the possessed is as much a myth as it is a mystery, but it has always been a great subject for movies. In honor of the spooky new film, which hits theaters this Friday, hollywood.com've exercised their own knowledge of film history to bring you a Brief Timeline of Cinematic Exorcisms. Check out the history of this horror sub-genre below!

via www.hollywood.com

Digg - A Timeline of the First Seven Years

Digg was created by Kevin Rose, Owen Byrne, Ron Gorodetzky, and Jay Adelson. Everyone apart from Owen Byrne is still heavily involved in the site. The beta version launched late 2004 and back then there were only about 200 users (mostly Rose’s friends). At the end of 2005, TechCrunch reported on Digg’s rapid growth and upwards trajectory. They compared the site with its inspiration and chief competitor- Slashdot. We go over the entire Digg timeline in the graphic below.

via www.blueglass.com