What’s better than a stop motion explainer on asteroids, comets, meteors, and meteorites? Nothing. Nothing is better.
The Royal Observatory Greenwich, home of the Prime Meridian where longitude is defined to be 0°, is tackling space rocks in this most adorable claymation-style animation. From the composition of asteroids and comets to distinguishing between meteors and meteorites (with a gap-toothed grin), this is an excellent introductory primer on the intersection of astronomy and geology.
The video was created in support of the European Space Agency’s mission to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The lander Philae briefly woke up this summer before lapsing back out of communication, but the Rosetta orbiter is still circling the lump of ice and discovering all sorts of new science.
Tip via Kimberly EnnicoSmith, thank you!
Top image: Meteors dive-bomb the atmosphere while meteorites crash into Earth. Credit: Royal Observatory/Mika McKinnon
Contact the author at mika.mckinnon@io9.com or follow her at @MikaMcKinnon.