'Near-Miss' Asteroid Is Hours Away From Earth
This topic was created in the Miscellaneous forum by MissPirate on Wednesday, November 9, 2011 and has 8 replies.
8:11am UK, Wednesday November 09, 2011
Thomas Moore, science correspondent
New pictures have been released of a mountain-sized asteroid that will come within three hours of hitting the Earth.
The radar image of 2005 YU55, below, was taken by Nasa's Deep Space Network antenna in California on Monday night, when the asteroid was at a distance of 860,000 miles (1.38 million kilometres).
The space rock is due to cross Earth's orbit just 198,000 miles (324,600km) behind the planet at 11.28pm UK time tonight.
That is just over three hours at the Earth's orbiting speed - a near miss in cosmic terms.
It is nearer to the Earth than the Moon, and the event is our closest encounter with such a large asteroid since 1976.
But Marina Brozovic of Nasa said there is no cause for alarm. "It is not going to hit us," she said.
"We have a good idea of its orbit for the next 100 years and there is no chance of impact."
If the 0.5km asteroid had hit the Earth it would have unleashed a 4,000 megaton blast - enough to destroy a city the size of London.
The radar image of asteroid 2005 YU55, left, was taken by Nasa's Deep Space Network antenna
Marek Kukula, public astronomer at the Greenwich Royal Observatory, said: "This asteroid is bigger than any mountain in Britain. It's not dangerous, but it has strayed into our cosmic backyard."
Observations by the Aricebo telescope last year revealed that 2005 YU55 is roughly spherical in shape, slowly tumbling and darker than charcoal.
Nasa will take close-up images overnight to study the asteroid's surface features and other physical properties.
"We will get a lot of data that will tell us a lot about the origins of the universe," said Dr Kukula.
Amateur astronomers will need a 6ins telescope to stand a chance of seeing the asteroid.
It will pass through the constellations of Aquila and Pegasus, covering a Moon's width of sky every five minutes.
Nasa has set up a Near Earth Object Programme known as Spaceguard to locate the estimated 1,000 asteroids and comets larger than 1km in diameter.
A collision with such a large object would cause mass extinction of most life on Earth.
Scientists are working on plans to destroy or divert large asteroids on a collision course with Earth.
Thomas Moore, science correspondent
New pictures have been released of a mountain-sized asteroid that will come within three hours of hitting the Earth.
The radar image of 2005 YU55, below, was taken by Nasa's Deep Space Network antenna in California on Monday night, when the asteroid was at a distance of 860,000 miles (1.38 million kilometres).
The space rock is due to cross Earth's orbit just 198,000 miles (324,600km) behind the planet at 11.28pm UK time tonight.
That is just over three hours at the Earth's orbiting speed - a near miss in cosmic terms.
It is nearer to the Earth than the Moon, and the event is our closest encounter with such a large asteroid since 1976.
But Marina Brozovic of Nasa said there is no cause for alarm. "It is not going to hit us," she said.
"We have a good idea of its orbit for the next 100 years and there is no chance of impact."
If the 0.5km asteroid had hit the Earth it would have unleashed a 4,000 megaton blast - enough to destroy a city the size of London.
The radar image of asteroid 2005 YU55, left, was taken by Nasa's Deep Space Network antenna
Marek Kukula, public astronomer at the Greenwich Royal Observatory, said: "This asteroid is bigger than any mountain in Britain. It's not dangerous, but it has strayed into our cosmic backyard."
Observations by the Aricebo telescope last year revealed that 2005 YU55 is roughly spherical in shape, slowly tumbling and darker than charcoal.
Nasa will take close-up images overnight to study the asteroid's surface features and other physical properties.
"We will get a lot of data that will tell us a lot about the origins of the universe," said Dr Kukula.
Amateur astronomers will need a 6ins telescope to stand a chance of seeing the asteroid.
It will pass through the constellations of Aquila and Pegasus, covering a Moon's width of sky every five minutes.
Nasa has set up a Near Earth Object Programme known as Spaceguard to locate the estimated 1,000 asteroids and comets larger than 1km in diameter.
A collision with such a large object would cause mass extinction of most life on Earth.
Scientists are working on plans to destroy or divert large asteroids on a collision course with Earth.
"Blowing it up would be an option of last resort??, said Dr Kukula. "It could result in dozens of smaller impacts.
"There are other ideas of using giant mirrors to focus sunlight on the asteroid, which would evaporate explosively, producing a jet that would force it away from us.
"There is another plan to spray-paint an asteroid on one side, which would heat up in the sunlight. That could be enough over many decades to force it into a safer orbit."
"There are other ideas of using giant mirrors to focus sunlight on the asteroid, which would evaporate explosively, producing a jet that would force it away from us.
"There is another plan to spray-paint an asteroid on one side, which would heat up in the sunlight. That could be enough over many decades to force it into a safer orbit."
I remember something about this.....
Posted by MissPirate
a near miss in cosmic terms.
darn. maybe next time.
I just find it interesting, and a little scary.
Apparently its gravity is too weak to affect tides or earthquake activity but still.....
Apparently its gravity is too weak to affect tides or earthquake activity but still.....
Posted by westsidePosted by MissPirate
a near miss in cosmic terms.
darn. maybe next time.click to expand
Hahaha
Yeah.
I like the idea about spray-painting the asteroid. Astro-graffiti! lol
Yes, you can see a great video explanation in our Spaceweather thread,
in the Science and Tech forums.
in the Science and Tech forums.
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