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Aw! **Warm fuzzies instantly fill brain**  

These two sibling arctic foxes in Alaska are playing together. For young foxes like these, rough-housing and play are essential for learning life skills. In the fall, the family will part ways, and the young will be ready to take on the tundra, thanks in part to play with their siblings. 

Video by Lisa Hupp, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Video description: Video of two fox kits, one with a tail of their sibling in their mouth, the other with a stick. Towards the end of the video, one of the foxes boops the nose of their sibling.

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Here’s What You Need to Know About Near-Earth Objects

Our solar system is littered with asteroids and comets, and sometimes they get a little close to Earth. But no need to worry! This happens all the time. When an asteroid or comet could come close to our planet, it’s known as a near-Earth object – aka NEO.

But how close is “close”?

A near-Earth object is defined as an object that could pass by our Earth within 30 million miles. We begin to keep close watch on objects that could pass within 5 million miles of our planet.

To put that into perspective, our Moon is only 238,900 miles away.

However unlikely an impact is, we want to know about all near-Earth objects. Our Planetary Defense Coordination Office maintains watch for asteroids and comets coming close to Earth. Along with our partners, we discover, catalog and characterize these bodies.

But what if one of these objects posed a threat?

We want to be prepared. That is why we are working on several deflection techniques and technologies to help protect our planet.

So next time that you hear of an asteroid passing “close” to Earth, know that it’s just one of many that we are tracking.

Here are 10 more things you should know about Planetary Defense.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com

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Cave and Basin, Banff, Canada | by JD Hascup

More of our amazing world

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http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/okavango-elephants-aerial/