Asteroids and meteorite showers

Interesting BBC article today about new plans to mine near-earth asteroids for their resources...Space start-up Planetary Resources today launched an ambitious plan to capture water and precious metals from near-Earth asteroids, a feat founders say would enrich earthbound society and enable further space exploration  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17827347

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asteroid_mining

On the subject of asteroids, one came very close to earth in January of this year. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16756450  "It's one of the closest approaches recorded" said Gareth Williams, associate director of the US-based Minor Planet Center. "It makes it in to the top 20 closest approaches, but it's sufficiently far away... that there's absolutely no chance of it hitting us" he told the BBC. And last weekend -- April 21 to 22 -- the Lyrids (meteor shower) made their annual spin through the skies, igniting the usual flashes, as they've done for some 2,600 years. This time, they also caused an explosive boom heard in parts of California and Nevada. This year's show was a bit more spectacular than in the past, because the new moon was in a new phase -- meaning the sky was darker than usual, creating a nice, rich background that showcased the celestial sparks. [This tiny but prominent constellation represents a lyre, an ancient musical instrument that is essentially a small harp. In Greek mythology, Lyra represents the lyre or harp of the musician Orpheus. It was said that when Orpheus played this instrument, neither mortal nor god could turn away.]
http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/earthskys-meteor-shower-guide