Asteroid to pass closer to Earth than the moon
An aircraft carrier-sized asteroid, a little over four football fields in diameter, is heading toward Earth and it will pass closer to our planet than the moon.
NASA has classified the asteroid as a “potentially hazardous object” and it will pass to within .8 lunar distances on November 8. It is the closest approach to Earth of an object this size in over 30 years.
What would happen if an asteroid this size crashed into Earth?
It would result in a 4,000 megaton blast, magnitude 7.0 earthquake and - if it falls into the ocean - could cause a 70-foot high tsunami within 60 miles of the crash site, according to an expert at Purdue University.
However, this space rock poses no threat of an Earth collision for at least the next 100 years, according to NASA’s Near Earth Object Program.
So what’s the big deal?
Encounters of objects this large this close to our planet won't happen again until the year 2028 when an asteroid will pass near Earth to within .6 lunar distances.
NASA plans to study the asteroid with the Goldstone radar antennas in California’s Mojave Desert. Goldstone antennas are very sensitive radio telescopes used to investigate quasars, radar mapping of planets and comets.
Scientists plan to reconstruct the shape of the asteroid with a resolution as fine as 13 feet (4 meters) using the antennas. Several days of high resolution operations are also scheduled at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico.
It will also provide a rare opportunity for amateur astronomers to directly observe an asteroid with optical telescopes.
The asteroid will approach Earth from a sunward direction and it will be a daylight object until the time of its closest approach on November 8. The best time to see the asteroid will be after the hours of 4 pm EST (21:00 UTC).
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People in Orbit
Expedition 36 Commander
Expedition 36 Flight Engineer
Expedition 36 Flight Engineer
Contributors
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Elizabeth Landau
Writer/Producer -
Sophia Dengo
Senior Designer
I think we should throw a bunch of sensors and cameras on it so they can send information back to earth as it travels about. Of course there is the possibility that it could hit something or fall into the sun. Do'h!
of course that would alter the current path, possibly making the next pass a "hit"
We would just shoot it with are "Super Lazer" .
Jambit.....your spelling is atrocious. In fact the grammar and spelling on this whole board is terrible. How do you expect people to take what you say seriously if you cannot spell?
It would not alter its course. I agree with Willy.
giftprolific . . . no need to be such an arrogant fool - I've read some of your posts and you're no Ernest Hemingway. Internet board posts are not required to be grammatically correct so long as they are easily understood.
@Giftprolific, Shut up Joshua Coffy. How's San fran?
I'm with giftprolific. Spelling and grammar *do* matter.
You're wrong AlThor...jambit has it right. To replace our with are is a sign of complete stupidity and how can a person take anything said by such a fool seriously??? To defend such ignorance is a sign of arrogance and there's your sign....
If I were to type an emergency message but forget to spell check it, would you take me seriously? Effective communication is all that matters, the transfer of information from one person to another. The rest is for arts students with nothing better to do with their time. Focus your time on something more worthwhile like designing a low maintenance water well for famine countries or saving the dolphins. Grammar police rot me to no end.
OK, "Hemingway" . . . then perhaps you should make sure that you're criticizing the right person: you said "JamBit has it right," yet it's giftprolific that you mean to defend. The bottom line is you know nothing about JamBit or me yet you feel confident in our brief posts to proclaim one is suffering from "complete stupidity" and the other (me) is "arrogant" for stating that one doesn't need to use perfect grammar or spelling in an internet post.
As it stands now, you've made yourself look the fool because you're not even sure whom you're criticizing. And not only that but YOUR grammar sucks, too.
Al Thor – It is "Internet" not "internet". Idiot! lol This is lame.
yore rong, noing how two spell write is knot emportent two gheting you're poynt acrost. the poynt is ahbowt this assturoyd witch cood hit us and anileate are hole races. Wury ahbowt the m-portent thangs.
Nick - thanks for making my point for me. No one misunderstood what I wrote, whether I capitalized "Internet" or not. Are you really calling me an idiot? For that? The whole idea of criticizing someone for how they use grammar and spelling on the Internet (big I) is completely ridiculous. Anyone who spends more than a second being critical for this is beyond arrogant, bordering on obsessive-complusive idiocy.
You guys all crack me up! Seriously. Funny stuff....and witty too.
I tihnk taht poelpe ralely need to undrestnad taht no matetr how bad soneomes garmamr is, tehy souhld take in to cosndiertaion they're seipllng. Sotp tyrnig to act like you're betetr tahn erevyone esle....Hokoed on pohnix wroekd for me!
RAND
There's Klingons off the Starboard Bow, Starboard bow, starboard bow; There's Klingons off the STARboard Bow KAPITAN KOIK!
A better idea Willy would be to send two shutles to the asteroid in hopes that one of the crews can drill a 780 hole through the iron ferrite surface. Then they could deposit one nuclear type weapon in the hole, light the fuse and come home.
Can't afford were broke.
Maybe someone who looks like Bruce Willis should be the commander of that shuttle mission.
I was thinking the very same thing. Sounds a lot like a movie I've seen recently.
We have no functioning shuttles!
Can't happen. Bruce Willis already did that movie.
No don't. Disney's Touchstone Pictures will sue you for copyrights. Put jackass crews on the movie to make it more interesting.
Asteroids that pass on a collision course with earth could be deflected. That would take money. People are too busy over-populating the planet to be able to afford to deflect killer asteroids. Those people who say that it doesn't matter that we could see 10 billion people aren't thinking about the consequences: everybody would be very very poor, and countries would be unable to defend the earth.
Why get someone who looks like Bruce, just send Bruce himself!
Elizabeth wrote on November 4, 2011 at 2:04 pm, in part, "Asteroids that pass on a collision course with earth could be deflected."
Ma'am, not to be all schoolmarm about it, an object that will pass by isn't on a "collision course," by definition, and vice versa - one on a collision course won't just "pass by."
*sigh*
probing uranus.
Oh! I thought you said we should put a bunch of Senators and Congressman on their asteroid so they could send back messages. Surely it would be a approved with no problem as just another Junket for Space Junque.
actually if we put congress and the senate on board, the gravitional displacememt will vector the asteroid into the sun, and that would certainly cure one of greatest evils that the usa has... just think that would shut down cnn for awhile... i wonder what biblical exceprt Carney would utter
nice! AND it would be an improvement on our representatives current spin......ahem...
Can we send all of the lobbyists, CEO's and other scoundrels with them?
heck yeah! that's a cool idea – what a way to get a bunch of info about the universe. It'd be like a time capsule and scientists could check it out the next time it passes nearby.
What an exceptional idea. You should absolutely spread that idea around. Not only might it gather information as it travels, but it could help us pinpoint it (like GPS on a pet, or car) when ever we want to know where it is.
I will be more than happy to knock this bad boy off course with my nuclear powered brookstick.
Anybody want to use my nuclear powered broomstick to knock this guy off course?
"Giftprolific", you forgot the comma after "in fact". I just thought you should know for the sake of using correct grammar.
Umm... they said it wouldn't be a problem till about 11 years from now...so it wouldn't hit the Sun.
Did you know Arnold Schwarzenegger killed his dog backing out of own driveway?
When I was a kid, I saw a pigeon get run over by a car backing out of a parking spot....it was very distressing. Dumb pigeon.
I accidentally ran over a pigeon with a truck, driving very slowly, and it made a loud "pop" like a balloon. I thought he would move, poor fella. He left a pretty good impression though....
I used to pull the legs off of spiders...hehehe
Clearly a Skyline Pigeon who thought itself too important to just Flyaway, Flyaway.
I got bit by a moose once when I was carving my initials into him....
Did Arnold make it. Was there an explosion?
yes there was an explosion, Arnold is okay he got to da chopper.
Who cleaned the driveway?
That is what his dog gets for driving.
tee hee. wonder how many of these bloggers "get" you? Also, asteroid story: an extremely rare asteroid – "It will also provide a rare opportunity for amateur astronomers to directly observe an asteroid with optical telescopes." sheesh.
funny
What was his dog doing backing out of the driveway?
Hmmgh ,, Maybe the 7th of November would be a good party night, yah think......could be the last one.....
Every night is a good night to party, get er done.
it would have to be bigger then 4 football feilds to end the world.
depends on your description of "end".
This *will* hit earth. Period.
[citation needed]
I need time to provide a citation. Like, 5 more days.
I've got a Chevy Citation you can buy. Will that do?
Low miles. Best offer.
I'm not giving up the Cessna jet.
no, it won't. exclamation point.
how do you know for sure? question mark.
The laws of classical mechanics developed by Newton are a great starting point.
They have already proved that there is too many anomolies to rely on Newtoinian Physics to predict the course beyond a few weeks. It does not explain all the motion we see in the sky. We can not calculate how much outgassing can alter the orbit. We can estimate, or guess, but Physics can only take snapshots of what's going on like a picture. Innerstelar debris, causes friction and can slow an object down. But without knowing the drag Co-efficient, again we are guessing.
I tend to "outgas" a LOT after a night of beer and Cheetos.
Just sayin.
@Xen1313... you don't know what the hell you are talking about.
Who is this "they" that said there are too many anomalies?
The immediate orbit is anything but unpredictable... congrats on googling and using newtonian physics in a sentence tho.
Outgassing? This isn't a comet.
Drag due to interstellar debris? Ha, good one... you're just guessing now aren't you?
@Xen1313,
...no more than a few weeks out...
Isn't it only 4 days away?
...drag Co-efficient...
What drag would that be? Ether?
Admittedly, the out gassing would be an unknown factor, but at 4 days out I'm guessing it would have a negligible effect.
same way you do, I don't. colon.
Leave my colon outta this.
I believe! Just to be on the safe side sign your car and house over to me before it hits....and your bank accounts...and all your other worldly possessions....
And if she's good looking, sign over your wife or girl friend to me.
Chestnuts are lazy.
But depending on how big it is, it could cause earthquakes and disrupt tides. This would be bad.
Kay, as others note, even if this asteroid hit at very high speed and on the shortest possible path through the Earth's atmosphere (so it wouldn't burn up as much), it's not a "planet killer," nor even a "species killer" like the Chicxulub Asteroid that struck near the modern-day Yucatan Peninsula and wiped out the dinosaurs about 65 million years ago. The Chicxulub Asteroid is thought to have been about 6 miles wide, compared to the 1,200 feet for this one - about 27 times as big. And even the Chicxulub Asteroid didn't doo it's damage in a single second when it impacted; it took a very long time for all of its effects to take place.
Yes, it wouldn't be a happy day for anyone around if this relatively small asteroid were to whack, say, any major city,especially one located on a coast, sitting on top of a major fault (think Los Angeles, San Francisco, etc.), or - worse still - BOTH were it to impact offshore but near. The article says it could generate a tsunami 70 feet tall if it hit in the ocean for up to 60 miles away. For comparison, the tsunami that struck numerous nations around the coasts of the Indian Ocean got as high as about 80 feet (and up to about 100 feet as it traveled inland), depending on where we specifically mean), so this would be comparable to that disaster that killed at *least 230,000 people around the Indian Ocean, maybe considerably more. "I live in Bangkok, and while Thailand was *relatively* unscathed compared to Indonesia, several thousand people were killed in the south of the country.)
Hope that helps ease any worries you may have.
Yes, it will. But not this time around. Maybe in the next 100,000 years it will hit.
Well I'm glad I'm getting that tattoo I always wanted today. Perfect timing.
Damn!
i hope it hits washington!
Let's be clear about this. You mean DC right? Because I live in Washington state, and I'd be kinda upset if this hit me.
Some extinct indians who cut off heads and played soccer, then died off from a cold virus once wrote the earth as we know it will end by 12/24/2012 @12:59 pm EST. Thats good enough for me.
Um we said 12/21/2012
sidereal or CDST?
Why isn't the news leaders covering this story more as it effects everyone and less on politics. Is this story being censored? This is the type of news people turn to the news leaders to hear about and get straight answers. This is a story that should be headlines not who said what about such and such elected official ... everyone is sick of this type of coverage all the time. CNN/FOX cover the stories that are important that can impact peoples lives. Shame on you both especially you CNN, I would expect this from the Republician News Channel ... I mean Fox News but not CNN. Although good coverage on the Iran situation thank you Wolf.
will the asteroid be able to be seen with the naked eye?
Zomgah! Iz a kunspeeracy!
Maybe they don't want us to know. I mean, would anyone tell you if it was really gonna hit? Think of what people would do. It would be a mess.
Those indians must have been pretty smart to have come up with "Time Zones" way back then..
Just like Al Gore invented the internet...
Obviously, some people have reading comprehension problems. Only a foolish imbecile believes that Al Gore ever claimed to have invented the Internet, which intelligent people knows was developed by an international consortium of engineering laboratories. Gore merely led the Senate committee that provided funding for the National Science Foundation which, in turn, led to the development of the ARPANET, which later became an early component of the Internet. It is a blatant lie to claim that Gore ever said that he created the Internet. That never happened, but people without integrity like to falsely pretend that he made such a claim, and they have no problem espousing that nonsense on public boards to show who uneducated they really are.
how uneducated*.
wescott... take a deep breathe. I'm sure he was being sarcastic.
I invented the internet and (with Tipper) was the inspiration for the book & movie "Love Story"
I'm glad that we have our vacuum cleaner planets Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus in our chocolate bar merry-go-around system and life is but a dream.
As silly as you probably sound to many here, you actually know what you're talking about.
Just NASA pandering for a bigger budget. Time to shut NASA down and turn over launch operations to the military. The cold war is long over and NASA is way too expensive to operate.
The cold war is over so the military should be given control of space operations? On what planet does that make sense?
Stargate Universe!
Planet Teabag.
What was that? Do you even have a clue about the geopolitical implications of militarizing space? I cannot believe the level of ignorance on this site. Too many of these readers skim off the surface of every issue and haven't a clue about anything under 10,000 feet. NASA and the DoD have completely separate missions and the military doesn't do everything well or cheap. Just plain stupid.
Just looking at his cold war ending justification and you should have an idea of his intelligence level. I bet he's hoping if the US does that than we'll have the attack space shuttle all ready for Bruce Willis to fly up and blow it up. That movie Armageddon was real you know.
The reason why we as human beings are behind on the space race is due 2 the own goverment thinking that they own the space industry we could have had a lunar station years ago if it was for the burocracy. Goverment Agencies think they can control everything. They want 2 inflict fear and make u think s@@@ doesnt exist. Google the realtion between Nicolas Tesla and JP. Morgan. if it wasnt for Morgan and the US. goverment. WE would be such an advanced society now in 2011 than we are today. People think that this is an advanced society now. Please........ pathetic
The asteroid would make a great nuclear missile base.
Ah, not militarized YET. The Air Force Space Command monitors everything out to about 22,000 miles.
NASA and the DOD use to have separate missions!
If you run for office in my district (Annandale VA) I'll vote for you. I support your statement.
Militarize space? The same military that buys a truck from Halliburton for $100,000 and sends a demolition team out to blow it up when it gets a flat tire because they don't buy spare tires or oil filters for them? The same military that pays Halliburton $100 a week for each and every soldier in our military in Iraq to get their laundry done? Are you Dick Cheney?
Its a bit hard to do laundry yourself when your working over 16hours a week, sweating your butt off and hitting the dirt.
Yeah. We most certainly could count on the military to cut expenses. You deserve a good ole boy pat on the back for thinking that one through.
While we're at it, let's shut down the National Science Foundation and give THAT to the DoD, while we're at it, too. Right? I mean, who needs science when you have nuclear missiles ALREADY.
That is one of the most patently stupid suggestons I have ever read or heard. "Military Intelligence" could not even find the WMDs in Iraq, which we KNOW were there because Bush, Cheney and Rummy said so, and yet you want to turn over NASA operations to THEM? Gimme a break!
Patently stupid suggestions???
Boy, did YOU ever come to the right place!
Pull up a chair and look what Al Gore wrought when he gave Americans the Internet(s).
Bring any crayons?
I remember when NASA was just a bunch of drunks with a case of dynamite. They have come a long way but they aren't going anywhere until I get my jet pack.. We were promised jet packs by the year 2000.. They better start making them soon or there could be wall street protesters outside their door.
So, let's get this straight. You want to shut NASA down because it's too expensive, but you want to turn it over to another government agency? Either way, it's still costing you money. And it's not like the military is a model of efficiency. In fact, show me any government entity that's anything even remotely close to efficient.
The military controlling the space program is the worst possible thing that could happen. You think space stations and satellites are tantimount to espionage by our own government? try giving the the MILITARY control over ALL space capabilities. You sire, are a Fool of a Took.
Assuming it were to hit the Earth.
Even if they told us about it, what would we do? Are you prepared for years of bad weather if this thing blows large amounts of dust into atmosphere? A large tsunami would devastate coastal regions. The tsunami in Japan was 40 feet high (read that recently – may be in error) and they predict this to be able to produce one 70 feet high. That would have totally drowned the nuclear plant in Japan. Our coastal cities would be at high risk if this thing hit near shore.
So again, would it really matter if it was going to hit and destroy large parts of the country? Yes at least some people could get out of the way.the rest is just speculation – which is the best part. ;-))
I just hope it his the Jersey Shore so I can snicker at Snooky's cooked cookies.
Brilliant!
An astroid this size, upon impact would trigger most major faults around the world. Also, the unstable volcano's would erupt. Then, as the Compression wave travels outwards from the impact site, the air itself would ignite. Possiblely for 100's of miles from the impact site. This fire would travel at close the speed of sound, with the possibility of higher speeds. Impact ejectia would start falling back to earth and cause wide spread wildfires. Now this is where it get's interesting, because if it hit in the water, we can expect greater than catagory 5 hurricanes to spin off the impact site until it cools enough for it to not turn water to steam. Most of those huricanes would become blizzards after a few months as dust, smoke and clouds block out the sun's heating rays. Now, if it hit land, this would be a continental killer. We'd still have the global nuclear winter, but less overall moisture. And less of a chance of a global tital wave event happening.
Impact ejectia ?.........Those are scary words
Soooo happy didn't win lottery and, therefore, didn't buy an island! Shopping List: manual can opener, wool blankets, gazillion candles and matches, books made out of paper, T-paper. Thanks for the reality check.
That sounds a lot like the KT extinction event impact. That asteroid was roughly 6 miles in diameter and this one is much, much smaller. I'm not an expert on this and I have no idea whether you are or not, so I could be wrong, but unless I'm mistaken something this size would not have enough power to cause those types of global firestorms that literally set entire continents on fire 65 million years ago.
That said, it still wouldn't be very fun. Look up Tzar Bomba for a blast 1/77 the estimated size that this one would cause. Sorry for the double post.
Generally when talking of astroids, size is far less important than makeup & denisity. An astroid that is a mile in diameter made up of mostly ice, & rock would have a far less impact maginatude than that of an astroid only 2/3rd's its size if madeup of iron, or some other heavy element. Think of is like dropping somthing on your foot. Even thou a pillow is much larger than a frozen turkey, one will break your foot the other won't.
Impact ejectia ? Is that what happens just as me and my wife are almost finished? 🙂
I watch a lot about this kind of stuff on the Science Channel all the time and based on what I have seen if this object were to hit the earth you would probably fair best closest to the point of impact because you definitely wouldn't want to be around for the aftermath.
It'll hit Yellowstone and set off the super volcano explosion there like some kind of universal sized angry birds game.
All the End Timers, Nostradamus freaks and Mayan calender followers will love this.
If we smear Preparation H on the Earth twice a day that should keep the roid away.
O-M-G!! That was the funniest thing I ever read... I just soiled myself!! DANG IT!!
**has an aneurysm**
...and send it to Uranus. Buh-dum-pshhhhhhh!
yeah... with the rest of the assteroids
**still laughing**
This has been going on for 10 whole minutes...
this is by far the funniest thing anyone has said on here, and perhaps the only worthy response to this joke of a news story. +1,000,000,000.
::applauds::
Funniest thing I've read online, nay, anywhere for many months. Thanks for the witty, intelligent humor.
this takes comment of the year... hilarious!!
if the calculations are wrong,we are going to be the luckiest people to witness such an event in the history of ManKind
Uhmmm....it will be the last global event that we lucky folks will ever get to witness. Some visiting alien in the future who comes across a depopulated earth will conclude that "we went out with a blast".
Oh snap, ITS THE DEATH STAR! (From star wars... Anybody?)
engage, Ludicrous speed!
They've gone plaid!
I don't have time to read all the comments, so this may have already been asked. Does anyone know the date that would be best for viewing? I know the time, but I couldn't find the date anywhere in the story.
November 8, 2011 the same day they will be 'testing" the national and world wide emergency alert system. coincidence...?
Historically its Election Day.
Also the same day the Head of State will be in Denver Co! Also the same day the Tsunami warnings are being tested in the UN and US.....
hell yes thats a coincidence!
I took the 7th off ... one hell of longweekend if it smacks the daddie
They are testing the National System on the 9th of November
did you even bother to read the article? it says November 8th in the second sentence. someone's hooked on phonics, aren't they?
Angel Eyes!
gooniegoogoo,
The Natinal Emergency test takes place on the 9th.
you mean, you couldn't find the "November 8th" statement in the sentence that appears immediately prior to the sentence that mentions the time? despite reading through the entire article? please tell me you haven't reproduced yet.
please tell me u finished preschool
if it hits us, I'll blame Bush
Correct. After all it would be God's doing and wasn't Bush God's personal representative?
Me too, I blame chicks for everything.
If a chunk of it lands on the Bush ranch in Texas, we can take solace that no intelligent life will be lost in the incident.
Someone pass Chuck Norris his catcher's mitt.
YEAH BABEH!!
I am gonna get SEWING!! Cuz he is gonna need a REAL BIG catchers mitt!!
AS AN ASTRONOMER I CAN PREDICT THIS OBJECT WILL CRASH NEAR INDIA.....!! GOOD LUCK
T-H-A-N-K Y-O-U!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There are no such things as asteriods. Man lived with dinosaurs 200 years ago.
Some one told me those things.
what??
there's no such thing as 200 years ago
Not anymore!
Actually it was 6,000 years (based i=on the true and honest Bible) and yes humans rode dinosaurs all over the place. The bones we see in the ground are put there by god to reinforce our beliefs. Or not.
That God is real joker isn't he?
Once had a preacher tell me god put those dino bones there to test my faith.
I love people who preach a dishonest God. Nothing like seeking truth through slight of hand.
I rode a dinosaur last week. thank you beer
The time will come soon when all on Earth will look to the Heavens above.
IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL THAT LIVE BY THE SEA OR OCEAN SHORE AT 1 FOOT TO 50 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL. Or with in ten miles of the coast. World Wide.
This will be a very close call i pray it is only that. Discovered on December 28, 2005 by Robert McMillan of the Spacewatch Program A potentially hazardous Asteroid known as 2005 YU55.
This Asteroid some what Large 400 meter-sized type – C, will pass by the Earth right between our moon and Earth. On November 8, 2011.
The people on Earth have not seen a Asteroid of this size in advance. One this big Has not impacted Earth in over at least 4 thousand years.
Most Objects that have a diameters over 45 meters or 147.637 ft strike the Earth approximately once every thousand years or so. Lying flat everything for hundreds of miles.
Like the TUNGUSKA 1908 SIBERIA, RUSSIA CRASH OR Tunguska Explosion. This one did not even hit the Earth with its full Impact, it burst high in the air above the ground plowing it apart into many smaller parts. Making thousands of very deep holes in the Russian forests. Many of them in dense forest far from any roads or towns.
One 400 Meters 1,312.3 ft in diameter like this one YU55 weighing millions of tons would if impacted Earth on land would darken all of the Earth not for just days but much longer.
It would change the weather not seen on Earth in over thousands of years a massive climate change to say the least.
Asteroids in our Asteroid Belt that is between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars do have collisions and some do turn into meteoroids many in the past thousands of years have come into the Earth’s Atmosphere. Many of thousands of them make it into Meteorites the signs are all over the Earth, craters of all sizes.
Now Earth going through a Debris Field or Tail of a Comet or large Asteroid at almost the same time as Asteroid YU55 near Earth Miss? Debris fields some times are very Large to say the least.
The World and NASA will watch Outer Space very closely the next 30 days.
Most likely more Earthquakes and the Oceans Tide will be strongly affected just from a near miss. The Gravitational Effects from outer space will most likely effect Earth for days.
Let us all pray
this is just a near Earth miss or NEO (Near Earth Object) or Near Earth Orbit.
READ THE BIBLE
Judgment Day will come soon enough.
Please Look at this site it is NASA’s Near Earth Object Program.
neo.jpl.nasa.gov/ca/
UP COMING CLOSE APPROACHES TO EARTH
Then go to
(2005 YU55) NOV 8, 2011
(2005 XB1) NOV 8, 2011
(2011 TP6) NOV 2011
(2000 YA) DEC 26, 2011
Add a asteroid about a mile wide into this Equation and ???
Object ( 20011LC19 ) it to will be going by Earth around Oct 28, 2011 tru
Nov 4, 2011. It is 1.2km or 3,937Ft wide.
May The Lord GOD our Father in Heaven Watch over and Guide you.
GOD Bless
Read the Bible
John 8:12-31
The Lord’s Little Helper
Paul Felix Schott
Are you for real?! It isn't big enough to influence the tides!
Oh wait... right... SELL EVERYTHING YOU OWN CHEAP!! WE ARE ALL GONNA DIE!! AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! JUDGEMENT DAY IS HERE!! THE SKY IS FALLING!!
I remember that from the 1950's documentary "When Worlds Collide"
You are an idiot.
If the earth is hit by an asteroid, it's god's fault because he made it happen. That's what being all-powerful and all-knowing means. Recycle your bible. At least it would be turned into something useful.
Please, at least learn how to write in complete sentences.
Since God is already the biggest mass murderer in history that would be right up his alley
I think you mean Satan. he is the cause for the sin this world commits. Not God. God allows it to happen so that all created beings can see the His law is just. Satan accused God of being a tyrant (just like you) so he made him prince of the earth. This is but the consequences of sin. No worries, for He is at the door.
So, Omar, God 'allows' it to happen? You know what we call that in a court of law? An accomplice. If God sits by on his laurels while 'Satan' murders people by the score, has the power to do something, and does nothing? Acomplice.
I love how you biblical people cherry pick passages and transcribe your own meaning to them. By the bible, God has ordained all that is and ever will be. He has a plan for everything and everyone. There is no freewill, just predestination. God is omnipotent and omniscient. Knows all and can do all. This is a being who let his angels die in defense of heaven against "satan's" uprising, when he knew what would happen. Any power 'satan' has is leant by God, since he is the source of all and determines all.
How is this 'god' good? Hrm?
“Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?” – Epicurus
And who created satan?God did,so yes god is responsible for all the evil in the world today.
Omar – Because those of us who are going to burn in the eternal flame must stick together (afterall... several meats make a sausage taste better) I am going to go out on a limb here and say: PROVE IT!
Hey Omar, you're an idiot too
hey, you all shut up. omar is right. get out, nonbelievers. find a bible, it will save your life
This is actually directed at Omar's reply to GlenR – Omar, do you also believe in Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, the tooth fairy and the sandman? Belief is gods (or one god) is mythology, and by the 21st century most intelligent people have dismissed his ancient voodoo concept that was created to control people's minds and money. Apparently, some of you are still mesmerized. Please do not take offense if some of us are "doubting Thomases".
By the way, Superman, The Flash, the Green Lantern, Batman, Mighty Mouse and Bugs Bunny are also fictional characters. I hate to be the one to burst your bubble, but somebody has to tell you the truth.
WOW u got some problems man
And you are an idiot
Hoogachaka hooga hooga hoogachaka hooga hooga....
That's all I have to say to you.
If anyone can tell me the basis of my words, I'll give you a prize.
Hooked on a feeling! What do I get?
Wow, you got it in less than 30 minutes as well! You get my adminration. Sorry, I didn't say it was a valuable prize.
...It's an asteroid... I'm no astronomer or anything... but if it's not gonna hit earth or the moon then why does it really matter? They could at least tell us something like its gonna collide with the moon... or give us more info for me to do my report on.
Well yes it was close, but not that very close. If it comes within 100 yards by earth, then I'd consider as very close.
So here are more questions for it..1when we did the calculations on the gravitational pull of earth did we do it with the earths rotation or against earths rotation because with the pull it is more powerful then against it..2 is this asteroid going toward the sun or away..3 is it a beginning of a asteroid field coming this way or did it break off from another planet in our system..4will it interfere with our pull of the moom.5 how do we know that it won't happen again till 2028..6 to my understand a .8 distance will create a shift in pull not only for us but for the object.
Let me try to answer you questions:
1) Your premise to this question is incorrect. The laws of gravity do not change depending on the rotation of the earth.
2) It is currently orbiting the sun, and its orbit happens to intersect with the earth's orbit. Earth's gravity will alter the trajectory, but only slightly, each time it gets close. I don't know if it's approaching perihelion or apohelion (the nearest and farthers points from the sun in its orbit), but those who are tracking it know. It isn't really relevant to it's proximity to earth.
3) It has likely been in this orbit for millions of years, since the early times in the creation of the solar system. It has probably passed close to earth many times before without being observed. It doesn't say anything about any particular asteroid field.
4) The gravity of the moon, the earth and the asteroid will all affect each other. This object is so small with relation to the earth and moon that it will have a negligible effect on their orbits.
5) We don't know it won't happen again until 2028. There are many other objects out there, many yet to be discovered, that could present a hazard. They are likely saying that because the trajectories of earth and this particular asteroid aren't going to intersect again (within a certain distance) until then. See the answer to #2.
According to the java script diagram model for YU55 on the Jet Propulsion Lab website the object YU55 will come in even closer proximity on April 18, 2021.
Miles O'Brien are you out there???? We miss you !
I don't believe there's an asteroid... I wanna see proof, and then I'll most likely deny the proof you show me!!! (In case you weren't sure, I was being sarcastic)
It's not an asteroid, it's actually a hemmorhoid.
and where do you think the money will come from for this exploration?
Uranus and mine...right about where we keep our wallets.
Oh fer crise sake, if it cost ten times as much it would still be money well spent. Isn't there someone that you need to chase off of your lawn or a moon that needs barked at?
lmao thts what i was thinking
Ditto that LAMO
DOOM DOOM DOOM plan for your family’s survival. Time to start digging you own survival shelter and stock up on soup, beans, crackers, toilet paper and guns you must survive the pending disaster. O and don’t forget the tinfoil you know to keep government mind control rays out of your head
People are so stupid. This is THE ideal opportunity to intercept, and destroy it. This is a great learning expirement.. but.. no. We'll wait until one of the movies plays out and we get destroyed.
How EXACTLY are we to destroy it?
They are doing the right thing... study it as it goes by, next time it comes around THEN do something!
Did you just watch Armegeddon? I think that's what Bruce WIllis tried to do, didn't work out that well for him.
Roger that.
Next time, we're sending Chuck Norris AND Dwayne Johnson.
They will definitelly whup some asteroid BUTT!
Exactly. This could be a real time real test of our ability to save the earth if an actual impact was impending 5 days from now. Practice now, perfect for next time.
Spaceballs the asteroid
The kids love it.
What can we as individuals do?
When it gets closer, run outside and blow at the sky like you're trying to put out a thousand candles.
awesome. whats NOT awesome is there are a lot of people that would believe this would work and they would go out and do it.
i was gonna shot at it with my shotgun as it goes by
I'm pinning my hope on the butterflies in South America – someone needs to shoo them all into the air at the same time....
Smoke alot of dope?
BRILLIANT!!!!! I'll get the bong......
Linus spoke that line in a Peanuts comic strip from years ago. Lucy and Linus were looking at the night sky. Lucy said something like, "Space is way too big. We don't need all that space," to which Linus replied, "What can we as individuals do?"
"this space rock poses no threat of an Earth collision for at least the next 100 years"
the next 100 years!!!!, then why should we even worry about it for one fucking second, by then we all will be dead, let those few still alive worry about that shit.
You kiss your mother with that mouth?
He kisses his inflatable doll with that mouth.
Yes, and you should see what I do to YOUR mother with it!
Dude, basically, "I know you are but what am I"? That's all ya got?
Now, now.
You guys can be SUCH naughty children!
I'm glad the ancient Romans didn't have nuclear weapons and have similar sentiment that
who cares about the centuries that follow, and better to nuke the world than fall to the Huns
or other invaders. Future generations do matter, every bit as much as our own.
I thought that was a pretty decent comeback, actually. I think you're oversimplifying it. A sort of a straw man argument on your part. Just an impartial observer.
We can't die....we still need to pay our taxes for the bailouts for the banks that make all the money from us from what is left of our paychecks after we pay the taxes for the...oh just kill me now
ok WHERES MY SHOTGUN
That the future doesn't matter is exactly the attitude which is destroying our planet in every way we can.
If it's going to be closer than the moon, than I think we should land some people on it and have lunch and maybe take it for a ride.
I don't know much on this subject so I have a stupid question: If it's going to pass by the Earth at a distance less than the distance between us and the moon, then is there a possibility that it can be sucked into the Earth's orbit? Would it be travelling too fast for this to happen?
You got it. And its orbit does not collide with earth. The only way it can hit earth at that speed if its path was in direct collision.
1) That's an excellent question.
2) Correct, it's going too fast.
Yeah, it'd have to be going about the speed of the moon to get sucked into our orbit, but clearly it's going way faster than that.
@Clos, I suspect that if they thought this would be a possibility, or even a probability, they would have raised more flags... and perhaps they have and are doing something in the background, keeping it from the public, to not cause panic and hystaria.
Thanks, guys!
Actually Clos, this is a great question!
Think of a bowling ball (Earth) in the middle of a trampoline. It creates a dip (curve) in the center. Think of this as the gravity of the bowling ball.
Now, roll a marble (the asteroid) towards the bowling ball but not actually directly at it. The marble will curve AROUND the dip created by the bowling ball.
If the marble's speed is too slow, the bowling ball can "catch" the marble thru its gravity and pull it towards the center of the trampoline, which would make both objects crash into each other.
Conversely, if the speed of the marble is too fast, it will simply curve around the bowling ball and continue on its merry way, albeit in a different direction.
Another event that can occur is if the speed of the marble was not fast enough to escape the bowling ball but not slow enough to crash into it. The marble would then orbit AROUND the bowling ball, like the Moon.
Like the others have stated, the speed of this asteroid will most likely cause it to curve around Earth and continue traveling thru space, just in a different direction.
Hope this helps you and others.
FoxHound
And I just lost all my marbles on wall street
Thanks! I actually saw a similar demonstration on one of those "How the universe works" shows. I know that's an oversimplification of "gravational pull" but it makes sense to me.
This is actually a VERY nice analogy. I commend you sir.
No worries. The US drones will take care of any offending asteroids. And they are manned by those who grew up playing video games, so they know what they are doing.
I have a very bad feeling about this.
no need to have a bad feeling, the asteroid is small and way way too far away to even be a threat to us. Closer than the moon sound close, but it's still around 190,000 miles from earth
I'm sad nobody seems to be getting the Star Wars references...should be a good show, though. I'm looking forward to seeing it.
Climb into your smuggling hatches.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHH we are all going to die.
the asteroid will be a good 190,000+ miles from earth, we have nothing to fear.
Sure, that seems like a long way, but astronomically speaking, it's checking your prostate.
?
I have a question, if a planet such as ion can expand in mass by gravitational pull ,then why not the same force to affect this coming astroid?
If the asteroid were then it would !!!!!
Look how clever I am!
Damn brackets not posting.
If the asteroid were [insert political part/figure] then it would [insert ridiculous comparison to said party/figure's policies] !!!!!
Look how clever I am!
Post Fail! LOL
how cool. I wonder why we aren't trying to get a sample of it if it's going to be that close. Oh well, next time.
What do you think about this? scream it into the web at youshouts dot com
Battlestar Gallactica.
Ahh .. the end is near. Wait, wasn't this predicted in the Quran, Bible, Torah, etc. etc.? Let's all run to our mosques, churches, temples and PRAY. Or maybe some did already and that's why this is only coming 0.8 distance, otherwise it will surely have hit us. Thanks guys!
Hey, praying is always a good idea!
I have a better one – read a book instead.
Only if it makes you have a false sense of security and accomplishment. In that case, I agree with you.
Not to worry till 2028? Whoh there. There are trillions upon trillions of objects of all sizes flying oround our solar system. These objects are nudged this way and that by each other as well as by the planets. No one- repeat NO ONE can predict if any one object will be pulled towards the earth. Keep checking the news.
How come the Bible does not say anything about Dinosaurs?
Sarah Palin believes that early man tamed the dinosaurs and rode them to church every Sunday.
Stupid, deliberately deceitful comment. Typical Leftist Democrat.
That hit a nerve, I guess. Papakat is new to the internet and hasn't seen that joke get tossed around nonstop.
Yes, yes she does. Parking was a real problem also...
@ PapaKat... better hurry back to your doublewide. Nascar's on.
Of course we're leftist....this blog is for INTELLIGENT people. It wouldn't appeal to righties
I love how liberals always assume they are the smartest person in the room. Doctorates in both Mathematics and Philosophy, Masters in Astrophysics, church elder and voting for conservative causes since you were non-aborted in your mother's womb. Your smugness betrays your ignorance, although I do think Sarah Palin is an opportunist just like any politician from either side of the political aisle.
"I love how liberals always assume they are the smartest person in the room. Doctorates in both Mathematics and Philosophy, Masters in Astrophysics, church elder and voting for conservative causes since you were non-aborted in your mother's womb. Your smugness betrays your ignorance, although I do think Sarah Palin is an opportunist just like any politician from either side of the political aisle."
the fact that you feel you must tout your degrees old man, says alot about you. talk about being "smug".
Because the bible is not an inventory of every living thing on the planet moron.
Because everyone knows TEH DEBIL put fossils inside rocks just to mess with our heads.
because there were no archeologists to find the bones during the writing of the bible.
In a way it may. " . . . the earth was shapeless and without form and a darkness covered the land . . ." This indicates that the earth existed when God arrived. A darkness could have been a type of nuclear winter from a meteor strike? At any rate, some pre-human existence is hinted at.
Oh boy.....
Put the bong down already.
News flash! A sphere is a shape and to exist is to have form. Try again.
What planet did God arive from anyway?
...and why didn't Noah collect them two by two? -just sayin
Damn! I just won the Mega Millions Lottery yesterday.
LMAO, I was thinking the same thing.
Help me out then, I'm in debt! The end of the world means nothing to these collections people!!
Pay your bills or don't buy things you can't afford and those collections types will never need to call you.
Just get Bruce Willis to shoot it down, NASA will eventually catch up..........
The Bible doesn't say anything about the Earth being hit by an asteroid so I am not worried :)))
actually it does,the bibles says it will rain fire from heaven..just like an asteroid
The Bible does NOT mention Dinosaurs either? What up wit dat?
The bible only mentions what the individuals who wrote it experienced during their time period. The bible only goes back an estimated 5,000 years so it's not a good reference. It was written by the hands of MAN and is therefore fallible and most of it's stories were written several hundred years after the so called events that took place. Science books are the way to go.
All the people who saw the dinosaurs that could have written about it got eaten so nobody knew about them.
aw heeeeeeell naw johnny. IM A BELIEVER!
The bible never mentioned the internet either, but here you are spouting off.
Oh yes! Thats a good one. I'm going to so use that one!
Yes...but dinosaurs were around BEFORE the bible was written, they should have been mentioned...everything else about the beginning of the earth, humans and other animals/creatures is in there!
they are mentioned ... as the "Giants"
Actually the bible may have mentioned the internet since the number of the beast, 666,
has variously been translated as www or SUV.
Maybe not but then idiots who read the bible and keep foretelling the end of the world are never right either.
that's a great classic sci-fi book. highly recommended.
Good thing it won't hit Earth. If it did, the GOP would blame Obama and demand kickbacks from the company cleaning up the mess...
Haliburton will get a no bid contract to clean up the mess.
The GOP would bomb an orphanage and then blame Obama for not stopping them and then sell the vacant lot to their lobbyists.
Typical liberal idiot just spouting off lies, crap, and rumors
No content or research required
Its Global Warming man, Al Gore was right we’re all doomed.
The Dems are already blaming it on the Bush Administration
And the Repukes are blaming it on Obama. A no win situation. Kinda like Congress wouldn't you say?
If it got any closer, the repubs would want to build a wall to keep it out and hire it to cut their grass at the same time.
If the asteroid were going to destroy 99% of the country, but give the GOP massive campaign donations they'd let it and then blame Obama and "liberals" for not stopping it.
wake up dude both sides are playing us like a fiddle. you do know if we all were on the same page all this blame game will be over and most of the probles could be solved so quickly?!?! thats what they want, none together! one fighting the other.
lol hi earth <3 see u up close nxt time!
This would be Obama's ASS Teroid
Mom's calling, she wants you to do your chores and stop playing with the computer.
it's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine
Danger Will, Danger Penny!! What a pain in the assteroid,eh?
It p[robably was made in China and is being sent back to Beijing for a refund
If it was made in China it will break before it gets here.
LMAO so true
Pray it doesn't come to close the democrats will want to tax it and New Yorkers will want Tolls paid!
If the asteroid were going to hit, the GOP would derail any expenditures to stop it until election time and then blame Obama for not doing anything.
And the repukes will want it to pay their taxes!
Pray idiots don't politicize an asteroid.
If it does hit Earth My money's on GREECE! Any takers?
Would certainly save Europe the Greece debt problem.
Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck are suiting up as we speak......... no worries, they've done this before.......
Actually, since the asteroid is less of a threat, they're sending in the stunt doubles – Kim Kardashian and Lindsay Lohan. I believe they lied to them and told them we don't have enough fuel on earth for a return home. Good luck girls!
This is most likely how life on this planet ends. Oh, not this one but all you need to do is look at the moon and realize it's been hit a staggering amount of times. Since the moon doesn't have much in the way of erosion (or at all) the craters are there to see. We have some big craters here too and that is with erosion so imagine how big they were at the time of impact. Our solar system's sun is on the main sequence and won't run out of fuel for a few billion years then it will turn into a red giant and slowly destroy our planet as it expands, BUT, the odds are higher that life on Earth will die before this do to an asteroid hit. But since humans live such short lives most people don't care about the future, only themselves.
ya, who cares???
yah who cares
we do
Wow, you are an idiot of astronomical proportions. What are we supposed to do, dedicate all of the planet's resources to planning for an incident with like a 1 in trillion chance of happening? Pretty sure energy, water and food are all much higher priority than an asteroid hitting the earth. Why don't you go back to your downtown street corner with your cardboard Armageddon/Doomsday/Rapture sign you clown.
Now be nice his tin foil may be wrapped real tight or he may be a global warming scientist looking for his next meal tick oh I mean catastrophe science needs to resolve. Ah I can't do this with a straight face
Yah. I bet Romney and his clan are already stocking up their cellar for the coming.
Not quite the same statistics I'll grant, but we're doing something similar with such vast expenditures on national security (instead of friendly relations with neighbors) that that's not much left for the needs
of a civil society.
Caliban, if an asteroid this size struck the earth, life AS WE KNOW IT may end, but unless the earth is entirely destroyed, life will go on in some form. There have been several occurences of massive die-offs, with varying causes speculated. Life continued but without those species that became extinct during the catastrophe.
Yah God wants to see if he can get it right this time. Failed the last time humans replaced lizards.
Sorry on last post meant to say he/she Hope I didn't offend the women out there.
When they say LIFE AS WE KNOW IT will end, I don't think we need to worry.
Most of us DON'T KNOW SQUATSKI ABOUT LIFE, so...
Just sayin. 🙂
IIn principle that is correct, kinda. Those craters on the moon were, for the most part, made during the creation of the solar system, and were made by comets being dragged helter skelter through the solar system by the gravitational pull of Jupiter and Saturn. See last week's Nova for some pretty cool research on that. This minor distinction notwithstanding, we can be fairly certain that asteroids have hit the earth before, and the moon. And we're pretty sure it wouldn't be a very good day for a great many people and other living things.
Did you just say fairly certain? Sorry, but you can't watch a few episodes of Nova and act like you know everything. It's not a theory for crying out loud, it's a fact. It HAS happened and it WILL happen again. There are also many other ways that earth's life will eventually come to an end, not just asteroids/comets. The Sun expanding, as stated above. A large solar explosion. The moon eventually leaving our gravitational pool (happening now…just very slowly). A Supernova that occurs close enough. A change in earth's percentage of oxygen. A change in oceanic currents. Disease. Ice age…etc...etc…etc...
Actually…maybe you should get back to your backyard wrestling ring where you and your boneheaded pals put each other in unnecessary love tangles while recording it all for your lame youtube collection of extremely gay cock-fighting. Earth being destroyed by a comet or huge asteroid isn't a trillion-to-one chance…it's inevitable. And you would know that if you spent a quarter of the time reading non-fiction books as you do reading coloring books. Just stop posting…your making your computer look bad!
dik dik dik dik dik
Gravitational pool? Must be filled with heavy water.
Damn I calculated wrong again! let me get another 850 pencils and 5 tons of paper and start over! 🙁
i hope that the asteroid hit my school..
With that grammar, I hope it doesn't.
Oh CP in PA–
That was just SOOOOOO wrong!!!!!!!
🙂
I was just thinking-no one knows what the makeup of the asteroid is, or what it's inherent gravitational pull is....do they....
They may not know the chemical makeup (at least internally), but they know the mass, which means they know the gravity. That's why they can predict where it will be and when. They have determined the mass from its gravitational interactions with other objects in the solar system.
Not precisely, but at that distance and at that size, it hardly matters. Gravity falls off rapidly with distance. It could be made of solid gold or uranium and it still wouldn't exert enough gravity to have any a noticeable effect on us, or us on it, at that distance.
We all know that once it gets close enough it will turn out to be an alien spaceship DISGUISED as an asteroid.
I was thinking exactly the same thing. THEY ARE COMING!!!
Bring it on!!
HELL YESS
I've always wondered why "They" would even want to visit us. They would obviously be far more technologically advanced than us and probably have learned to work together in order to create such an advanced society. What would we have to offer???
Yeah, I doubt we even taste good. Too many preservatives.
slave labor
Obviously "they" want the oil under North America because they see we are too stupid to use what is literally right beneath us. We'd rather buy it from people who hate us and/or invest in 'alternative sources' that are either unsustainable or not practical to move good and products from point A to point B.
Mark,
It's simple, we have the best and probably only Fried chicken in the Universe. You know another planet with Friend Chicken? or Chickens for that matter? Didn't think so. This is actually a silly question though. Why do we study our caveman ancestors? Why study any civilization from the past? Why do we even care how African tribes operate or any other civilization that is less advanced than us for that matter? It's worth knowing. So i would imagine, they would want to see us. Also, Space apparently doesn't offer a large amount of livable planets... i'm sure that finding any life would make us worth studying for another advanced intelligence. .... but again, my money is on the Fried Chicken.
The same reason why we study ants...
I guess they are here for the woman and the beer
While “fried chicken” may seem like a light-hearted answer, it is as likely as any other. An alien race’s motivations, thoughts, and conclusions would be unknowable to us. I suspect that the rules of math and science would lead to agreement in many areas (1+1=2 anywhere), but social constructs like love and loyalty are similar across the races of earth because we share basic biology, mating and child rearing requirements, dietary constraints, etc. Imagine an intelligent race of fleas—their culture would be very different.
I am pretty sure it isn’t like us studying ants… For one thing, as I said above, their motivations would be as alien as their physiology. Also, keep in mind that they would need spend vast amounts of resources to reach us—I’m just ball parking, but I’d bet you couldn’t get here from anything resembling a likely “alien home-world” in less than a 1000 years without an energy source as powerful as the sun. If they found us on purpose it wasn’t a casual call and if they happen to find us by accident they may be no more sure about what to do with us as us with them.
They heard one of the Kardashian girls was getting divorced and was "back on the market."
🙂
Put on your sweatsuits and nikes, our ride is here! Yee-haw!
Does this mean in 68 years it WILL collide with earth? I mean .8 now .6 in 2028 ????
different asteroid in 2028... this one wont be back for 100 yrs according to this article
It may approach earth again in sooner than 100 years, but they have been able to get good enough data to predict it won't hit in the next 100 years. The article doesn't really say which it is, and I doubt even the author of the article knows the answer. You'd have to actually talk to the orbital analysts to ask (or do the calculations yourself).
Anita, you are an idiot. No this doesn't mean that the asteroid will collide with earth in 68 years. The asteroid that will approach earth in 2028 is a different asteroid. Stupid people shouldn't be allowed to procreate.
Rude people who think their stink doesn't stink, and that they're smarter than everyone else should be confined on an artic island somewhere.
I believe she was asking a question... No need to be so nasty!
Actually, the article indicates (probably incorrectly) that it IS the same rock (emphasis mine): "THIS space rock poses no threat of an Earth collision for at least the next 100 years, according to NASA..."
So Anita isn't the idiot here.
If that's your method of asking for a date, you have a lesser chance . . .
y u such a dik
@Bekind – mine stinks, and so does your spelling. Arctic. Arctic.
Maybe it will hit the Kardashians?
Or maybe they will hop on board for a ride out of town.
Oh my that would be splendid.
But she'll just be back in about 73 days because it didn't work out.
F.P: OMG SO TRUE!
Kim's butt makes for a pretty big target.
...or maybe Paris Hilton!!
I doubt it, it is white.
Maybe it's impact will kick of the whole 2012 end of the world!
One more thought: will it influence the moon's orbit?
No way it has any effect on the moon's orbit. It's not nearly large enough.
Size matters not. Judge it by its size do you? The mass of the object is what determines how much gravity it has. A small object with a high density will have a large mass and thus a stronger gravitational field.
Yeah you are right. plus it has been following its orbit longer than all of us have been alive.
Dont know much about pysics do we? size makes no diiferance at all. it is the spacific gravity that is the question. remeber that a object the size of a grain of saly in a black hole has a mass of 10000 of our suns. unlike your girl freind in space size really doesnt m,atter
Philabias is wrong.
No Philabias, I don't know anything about pysics. Only a little about PHYSICS. It amazes me that someone comes on to post about someone being inferior for not knowing more on a single subject, but then makes little effort to make sure that spelling correctly. You know why the world seems to be getting dumber? Because when someone has the bravery to ask a question on a subject they are not familiar with, the person with the answer degrades them – like yourself. Hence, putting a stop to all future VALID questions. Ulitmately slowing down the learning process.
I would doubt that you could ever build me a house to live in but I wouldn't humiliate you for not being able to do so. A little patience and understanding, please.
Any object will influence another object in space. This object just won't be influencing the Moon and Earth enough to really matter. Except for when it possibly hits in 100 years but by then I won't be around to care one way or another.
you might still be alive thanks to Obamacare or your still paying for the bailouts! LOL
Yes, but it's negligible because the masses of both the moon and the earth are so much larger. Technically, everything in the universe has a gravitation effect on everything else. (Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation) Even those satellites that we launch are pulling on the earth, just as the earth is pulling on them.
If anything, the other way around
Hmm and November 8th is also the National Emergency Test.
You and gooniegoogoo need to get your facts straight. The test is on November 9th, not November 8th. Geesh. LOL.
Now we know why we spend $750 billion annually on defense...there is an alien invasion coming.
Has anyone asked what the chances are that it could collide with the moon?
Why does the graphic depiction not show the influence of Earth's gravity?
We are doomed . . . .
Maybe it's made of gold! Gold I tells ya!
word on the street: an amish beard cutting cult believes there is a spaceship hiding behind this asteroid & when it gets close enough, they will drink their 'special' kool-aid & go meet up with the occupants.
been waiting a long time for that reference. what brand tennis shoe do ya' tink they'll be wearing?
I feel bad for last nights PowerBall Winner as he might now get the opportunity to spend all that "life-changing" money... This asteroid, or ones like it, could mean some serious life changing for everyone.
Here's a question.
If it's .8 lunar distances to the earth, doesn't that make it .2 lunar distances from the moon? If the timing is just right we might just see it crash into that instead of the earth...
I wonder what would happen.
A crater ...
or, watch the last remake of The Time Machine... that's what could happen.
If there were a possibility of this asteroid striking the moon, I think the scientists who are observing it would know that.
Yeah , but would they tell us ?
Not if it passes on the opposite side of the earth from the moon. In that case it would be about 1.8 lunar distances from the moon.
LOL, no it's not going to be .2 lunar distances from the moon. They're using the moons distance as a guide, for how close the asteroid will be from the earth. The moon is about 240,000 miles away from the earth, and they're saying that this asteroid will pass, closer than that(about 190,000 miles). I'm sure the moon will be at another point in it's rotation at the time of the asteriod pass.
In which case it will propel the Moon into the Earth in a celestial version of a chain-reaction collision, we are doomed.
It's passing closer than the distance from the earth to the moon, but not necessarily between the earth and the moon. Moon could be on the other side of the planet or something for example. They just gave us the lunar distance thing as a measure of scale.
While the asteroid will pass within 0.8 lunar orbit distances, the article does not say where in the moon's orbital phase this closest approach will occur. On Nov. 8 the moon will be very near full, which means that it's hanging out on the side of the earth farthest from the sun. The asteroid's closest approach is coming from the sun direction and so the path must graze along the day/night border. I think we can infer the moon won't have a new blemish as it's on the night side. Regardless the asteroid might not even be traveling in the same plane as the moon's orbit, meaning that the two objects paths would never cross.
C'mon, it don't say nothin' about it 'rivin' on no PLANE–can't you READ????
Chris,
Your question does have some validity to it. For this to happen, however, it would have to travel BETWEEN the Earth and Moon (The sum of the asteroid being 0.8 lunar units away from the Earth plus the 0.2 lunar units from the Moon would give you a total of 1 lunar unit).
That does not mean that the asteroid WILL travel between the Earth and the Moon. Think of it as concentric circles around Earth. One circle is at a radius of 0.8 lunar units (the closest the asteroid will travel) and the other circle at a radius 1 lunar unit (the orbit of the Moon). You can put the asteroid anywhere on the 0.8 unit circle and the Moon anywhere on the 1 unit circle. It turns out there is only ONE instance of the asteroid being between the Earth and the Moon and MANY, MANY other instances where the asteroid is not (for example, the asteroid could be on one side of Earth and the Moon at the very opposite side of Earth – which would mean there would be no chance of the asteroid hitting the Moon).
So, in essence, the answer to your question is yes, BUT ONLY IF it is exactly between the Earth and Moon.
I hope this helps for you and anyone else : )
FoxHound
Nice mental picture..however you must think in terms of 3 dimensions. Think of it as concentric spheres not circles and the possiblities of any thing being hit drop significantly.
@truehuman
You are correct. Once you introduce the 3rd dimension and the circles become spheres, the chances of a collision reduce precipitously. The reason I didnt want to go into 3D was that I figured a 2D representation would suffice for most people in their understanding.
Thanks.
FoxHound
Chris- use some logic. It will pass close to the earth at a distance that is .8 the distance to the moon. But the moon may be on the opposite side of the earth. They are talking about relative distances, not that the earth, meteroid, ande moon will be aligned. Small but important matter.
No, it's not necessarily passing in between the moon and the earth. It could still be .8 lunar distances from Earth and be on the opposite side of Earth than the moon, or above, or below.
Who says Americans are bad at math. Chris shows otherwise. Logic on the other hand may be a different story. The Moon may be the completely opposite side at the time of 0.8 approach to earth. Remember, we are talking about Moon's orbital distance. Get it? Naw, too much to expect, better stick with 1st grade math.
Just let me know where it's going to hit and I'll catch it.
My mind tells me to trust the science of the whole thing, but my conscience is fighting me with the certainty of things that we have no control over to surprise us.
Will it hit Earth? Probably not.
COULD it hit Earth? Certainly.
Would we be told the truth if there was proof of an eminent collision? I sincerely doubt it.
Should we be worried or terrified? Why waste the energy on things that we cannot change?
It's a bird It's a plane It's It's It's Herman Cain!
What will happen if while missing us it hits the moon instead?
New crater I'd guess ...
LOL
It's not an Earth versus Moon contest.
Everything is better... on the moon.
We like the moooooon....but not as much as we like cheeeeese....
I guarantee that if it were going to hit the moon, that is it if it were to hit on the earth side of the moon, NASA would be asking all amateur astronomers out there to watch it and take pictures. What a cool event and a fun thing to see and learn from!
Time for this planet to start working together in a unified manner toward a working, functional, successful asteriod defense system. I think this system also needs to be able to handle bigger babies than this guy that's "just going to miss us". Do you believe this writer telling us that "no need to worry" and that another one this big or bigger won't come close until 2028. How long will it take to devise a system that will stop one of these Earth crushers? We better all start holding hands, stop fighting, and pool our resouces to get the job done. Maybe we can heal, help, a good many of the earth woes in the meantime from all the new technologies that might be developed out of aiming to solve this problem. My money is betting that this globe is filled with a bunch of idiots leaders who'll never do anything constructive until it's too late and that we'd all better get our houses in order to meet the ruler of heaven and earth.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armageddon_(1998_film)
Yea! Time to rally!
Other humans are not the enemy, asteroids are!
I heard asteroids can kill you. I hear they want to kill us all.
And they don't believe in our god.
A pre-emptive strike is in order. Kill all asteroids before they kill us!!!
You want to meet 'the ruler of heaven and earth'? Why? In your world he/it was what is causing it.
Found another under employed scientist that needs a new car or wants another chance to be cool with the ladies.
Please tax the stupid people and sell them on the "Need" for scientists to be employed and leave all of the working people out of your idiotic blather.
I am sure this object has a name or designation, I would like to research it – Do you see it in the article? No. Typical CNN stupidity.
Umm.... it says it right there. *points*
2005 YU55
Hahahaha!
2005 YU55
Why does the lack of a proper name bother you? Do you really NEED to know it's name to know that it's there? Would it's phone number be of use? Why call people stupid when there's no need?
Perhaps it has an e-mail address or a fax?
u can txt me when i pass by
I see now. CNN has to cater to the low IQ crowd.
CNN stupidity-": Well , Ace (what a perfect name for you, by the way–) if you're so superior to CNN, where is your organization/cable channel/etc.? Seems all you're really good at is belittling others. Get a life.
It looks like a Rick to me.
Why is he so disgruntled? Is it because he can't read?
if anything i think we should use our "secret" super laser to blast it. but then we would have to deal with smaller fragments...then we could of course use the other "secret" super laser to obliterate those and probably every thing within a 100 light year radius.
IT'S NIBIRU..!~!~, RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!
Did they say asteroid or hemorrhoid? Either way, it's gonna hurt bad!
Can someone explain why the universal gravitation of Earth won't attract it and either cause it crash to Earth or hold it in an orbit, like it does with the moon? Especiaaly when "it will pass to within .8 lunar distances "
I don't know......why doesn't a trampoline catch someone who just jumped off a skyscraper even though it catches someone jumping out of their 1st story window.......
Critical thinking skills: they work.
The gravitation of Earth is not "universal."
I don't claim to be an astrophysicist, but I believe the reason Earth's gravity will not capture the asteroid in our orbit or pull it into direct collision with Earth probably has to do with the rate of speed it's traveling. Gravity is actually one of the weaker forces in the universe to my understanding, so an object traveling at a fast enough velocity wouldn't be effected much by the gravity of a passing body, especially a body who's gravitational pull is as relatively small as the Earth's
Thanks for your reply. Tek. However, I disagree with the statement that gravity is a weak force in the universe. I believe gravity is the main force in the universe. It's the only force that keeps our universe the way it's now. What do you think all the stars and plants are moving in a certain speed around a certain orbit? Why the astoid is traveling in such high velocity? Does it have a nuclear powered propeller?
I could try to explain it, but you wouldn't understand it. It has to do with quarks and quasars and pretty much all the Q entries in the dictionary.
Isn't it amazing though – as much as we take gravity for granted, how little we still understand it? Curvature in space time? Or perhaps gravitons. How can one object really affect another at a distance?
Speed...
Also, the gravitational pull of the earth & moon has been calculated in the equation ... which is why it is passing within the .8 lunar distance.
This is just a really really REALLY simply explanation of an otherwise complex physics problem. Think of it this way. One very large magnet moving extremely fast in one direction (Earth) and a tiny tiny magnet moving extremely fast in the other direction (asteroid). While the earth is huge and massive, it is not strong enough to capture the asteroid and put it in an orbit if they are moving past each other at such high rates of speed. The big magnet might cause the small magnets direction to bend a little bit, but the angle it's coming in from and the speed at which it is moving makes it impossible for the big magnet to attract it completely.
2005 YU55's path is perpendicular enough to the path of Earth's that the gravitational pull will have little effect. You may see a slight alteration in the asteroid's path, but it will not begin to orbit Earth.
What tek said, though gravity is very strong. Its just defined by the mass of an object.
The asteroid will be traveling too fast for Earth's gravitational pull to bring in down, or to keep it in orbit, so it will pass right by us.
Yes, I could explain it to you. In short, is has to do with velocity and mass of the object and the required energy it would take to significantly alter the trajectory of the asteroid.
Because, at the speed at which the Earth and this asteroid are traveling, relative to each other, the force of gravity only has a negligible effect. It's like a kitchen magnet brushing past a metal spoon as it travels past at 100 miles an hour.
It's a good question. It's tangential velocity exceeds escape velocity. Or it is going so fast it will only be pulled a bit but not pulled into orbit.
However, will the little "pull" cause enough of a course correction such that for the next pass of this object in the future will it be enough to cause a collision at that time?
Well there will be a gravitational pull but I think the odds would be low of it even having another near earth pass. I'd guess they will track the asteroid and estimate its orbit and future course, but assuming it is orbiting the sun, what would be the odds it would cross the earth's orbit again at a time the earth is near that same point in the orbit? Guess I don't know but it is becoming an interesting science. Hopefully if there is ever one on a direct path, they'll have a good solution by then.
The real question is ; did the scientists take into account there will be TWO sources of gravity interacting with each other; the object itself and each with the object separately [at different angles and rates for the duration of the flyby]. ".8" lunar distance is only 200,000 miles appoximately. But the moon's effect gravity wise will be exponently stronger because it will be relatively speaking 4 times closer to the object. The moon will be appoximately 50,000 miles away from the object @ closest approach.
No, the real question is did they get the decimal in the right spot.
Basically because of the apparent velocity and mass of the object, Earth's gravitational pull won't have much influence over it, the moon even less so.
What makes you think the moon will be closer to it than the earth will? They never said it would pass BETWEEN the earth and moon, only that it would be .8 lunar distances from the earth. So the earth might even be between the asteroid and the moon. Or they might not be in alignment at all.
the speed is only a portion of the reason why gravity won't pull it to earth. its mass is equally to blame.
Thanks for all the replies. I understand the relationship between the speed and force. Does anyone know how fast it travels so the earth gravity won't capture it? Someone must have done the study. the auther of the article should have mentioned that in my opinion. On the other hand, next time around, the astroid will get closer to earth at 0.6 lunar distance. will it be eventualy crash landed? Mmm, I would be a handred year old then....
At .8 LD, it would have to travel at least 1.44 km/sec with relation to earth to be on an escape trajectory, but it is likely traveling much much faster than that. The article does not give near enough information to calculate it. It is really just in an orbit around the sun and its orbit intersects with earth's orbit occasionally. Earth's gravity will alter its trajectory a little bit each time it comes close.
Might be a chunk of Pluto that came off...
It might Pluto, period!
Since it is something as small as an air-craft carrier...sounds like it would be a good idea to just go ahead and blow this thing up with some really good megaton blasts. The smaller bits would mostly burn up in the atmosphere and this thing would no longer pose a potential problem in the future. Of course by letting it pass by...future generations may be more able to handle these behemoths...or maybe not (if society breaks down).
omg you just wrote what I was thinking. Exactly.
If you want to blow it up, at least set charges on it that won't go off until AFTER it passes the earth!
Where's Bruce Willis when you need him?
No, you would have thousands of chunks too big to burn up that would impact. Anything larger than a small car, would not burn up completely and then you have thousands of refrigerator sized peices pounding us.
In human terms, that's like the difference between being hit by birdshot or a .45
As for me, I'd rather take my chances with the birdshot.
that is assuming you are the entire earth. as a person, you might rather be hit with bird shot than a .45, but if you were an ant crawling on that person, i think you'd rather they got shot with the .45 or not shot at all.
"Get yer ass to Mars !"
interesting posts. so, if it's not an astroid what is it? and if we blast it the smaller pieces will fly and end up where? once it passes it will go where? and the next one will pass in 2028 so... maybe they know all about these ahead of time and will take care of it,.... if,... it really is a threat...lol i have bigger things to worry about like the fact i am disabled and homeless trying to survive on 500/mo disability income. as a single mom of 1 teen who's husband died. ya seriously ppl.
Sounds like you may need to join the OWS movement.
I hope it lands right on top of you, your part of the problem.
"you're" 🙂
Maybe you shouldn't be on the internet complaining about being homeless.
Are you homeless in beverly hills? never seen a homeless guy with the ability to comment on the internet.
To be fair, they could be posting from a library or something. Otherwise it's just derailing nonsense.
Homeless? How you using the computer? Sorry that you are having a tough time but you should be spending less time on this and more time on your family.
Yet you still have time to go on the internet and make comments such as these on things that do not matter to you. What a efficient use of time with your current problems.
Someone get Bruce Willis on a shuttle ASAP!
Steven Tyler can handle the soundtrack.
We're doomed !!!
Maan, we still don't have power back after this nor'easter and next we're gonna have an asteroid. I'll never get my lights back on....
Just in time for 12/21/12!
Only 1 year and 42 days off. Silly Mayans why no accuracy? What you don't have a concept of the end of days or doomsday in your culture? Then why does the calendar run out? Oooooh cause your civilization is gone. Someone tell the 2012 guys.
this could be one of those OH CRAP moments
They have no idea what is flying around out there. The next thing that you know, "OOps, we didn't see that one.....!!"
pretty sure most of the observatories have a pretty long list of identified Near Earth Objects/potential threats.
kinda close W T F
I hope they've checked the math a couple of times.
best post
Of course they have, they've got the same preacher that predicted the end of the Earth twice earlier this year double and triple checking the math as we speak.
Doesn't everyone measure once and cut onc.....awww crap....I cut it too short.
Well, nasa did have a probe crash into mars because of a meters / feet thing.
I hope they checked their units!
does it matter? it wouldn't be their fault if it hits us because they counted wrong. it would just mean that we'd have an advance notice of our impending doom.
lol!!!
As long as they're not politicians, we'll be fine.
We are all a bunch of dorks, because we will take any opportunity to toss out some Star Wars quotes 🙂
Better nuke it ow while we got we got the chance or our great grand kids will never forgive us.
Relax. At the rate we're going our great grandkids will be back to living in caves anyway.
Nukes don't really work that well in space. They do most of the damage because of the air they rapidly push away in all directions.
At best you might break it in half or slightly alter its course.
yeah;
then it will hit us next year
It's a space station!
"It will also provide a rare opportunity for amateur astronomers to directly observe an asteroid with optical telescopes."
Not quite- many asteroids are within easy reach of basic backyard telescopes or even binoculars.
It's a space station!
I'll bet we've known it was coming for years, and exactly where it would be. My question is, "Why in the world were we not ready for exploration?" We could have at least sent an unmanned probe to gather samples, take photos, and learn about it. At most we could have planned an international manned mission and been ready for it when it arrived: no long-distance journeys. We've been out this far before.
I wonder if anyone will have the foresight to have something like this ready for the year 2028.
We have two choices: we can reach out, explore, and take advantage of opportunities like this, or we can continue to whine about how bad it is on earth while really doing nothing about it, and then try to figure out whom to sue if one of these things passes too close.
It's depressing to live in this politically-polluted culture that could do so much, but simply refuses to.
Probably because it's an irrelevant asteroid. Hence why we're currently studying Vesta and, later, the dward planet Ceres.
I think I love you.
We are in a recession and you want to blow money on asteroid exploration?? You are bringing out the inner TEA Bagger in me.
How is it blown? If it is spent it must wind up in someone's pocket who in turn spends it and so on.. Yep, you have Tea-bagger in you. Can't think things through to a logical end.
ohmygod. this is soooooo true. y rnt YOU an astronaut??
That's no asteroid.
...it's a moon, wait....
Oh really....what is it then?
It is Xenu's space ship.
...it's a space station....
It's too big to be a space station.
its yo momma!