Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Asteroid Fly-By Caught On Tape

Posted by timothy on from the like-paris-hilton dept.

starexplorer writes "SPACE.com is reporting that the Asteroid Toutatis flew over the neighborhood early this morning. The Asteroid is 2.9 miles long and 1.5 miles wide and was caught on video (Animated GIF here) by a team of educators. NASA also has a video capture." (This is the same asteroid recently promised.)

25 comments

  1. Video from NASA by Bin_jammin · · Score: 1

    Sloooooow load times. Need Another Server Already?

  2. Well That's One of Many by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Check the 'most complete map of the solar system' at http://szyzyg.arm.ac.uk/~spm/

    1. Re:Well That's One of Many by szyzyg · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Ahhh yes.... from the days before I was snatched away by the promise of internet companies. It's been over 5 years since I created that page and it keeps getting rediscovered. I need to update some of my astroid animations how that I can do video editing with something more powerful than shell scripts ;-)

      People should also check out the local map for today, showing Toutatis right next to the planet.

  3. Video?? Liars! by escher · · Score: 3, Informative

    The nasa "video" is just a CG animation of the asteroid's rotation.

  4. I'd rather see... by mOoZik · · Score: 1

    A video of the server melting to the ground. One comment and the video link is dead!

    --
    A blog like any other.
  5. Video Capture by finkployd · · Score: 2, Informative

    If by "video capture" you mean "CG artist's rendering of said asteroid", then this is correct.

    Finkployd

  6. In other news... by El+Icaro · · Score: 1

    Little green men have been falling out of the trees.

  7. .gif made from the video by jangobongo · · Score: 1

    The .gif file on the Space.com webpage is taken from the video. Eleven minutes compressed into about 6 seconds.

    --

    Sig cancelled due to lack of interest
  8. just wait by kippy · · Score: 1

    I love how it's going to take a multi-million person death and trillion dollar amount of damage before asteroid impact is seen as a real threat.

    I think at least the EAS was working on some kind of detection/deflection scheme but I don't know how that's going.

    --
    Blaze a trail to the New World
    1. Re:just wait by stevesliva · · Score: 1

      Nah, wiping out a single small city would probably suffice.

      --
      Who do you get to be an expert to tell you something's not obvious? The least insightful person you can find? -J Roberts
    2. Re:just wait by PriceIke · · Score: 1

      Actually I'm waiting for the news of the suicides in Beverly Hills of kkol-aid drinking morons trying to get to the mother ship hidden behind the asteroid.

      Social Darwinism at its best.

      --
      It's not a lie. It's the truth with lossy compression.
    3. Re:just wait by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They have a project that involves 2 satellites - 1 to crash into an asteroid & the other to measue the effects (e.g. on its course)

  9. was I the only one... by nusratt · · Score: 3, Funny

    ... to skim the title and briefly wonder, "What's an asteroid fly?"

    1. Re:was I the only one... by tverbeek · · Score: 1
      "What's an asteroid fly?"

      It's like a horse fly, but much, much, much bigger. And it hurts even worse if bites you.

      --
      http://alternatives.rzero.com/
    2. Re:was I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "What's an asteroid fly?"

      Airplanes?

    3. Re:was I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes.

  10. yeah you by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    nasrat sucks

  11. About the animated GIF link... by Jtheletter · · Score: 1

    Worst animated GIF ever.

    --
    -- I'm not a pessimist, I'm a realist. It's not my fault that life sucks so much. --
  12. News: Earth's multicellular life decimate by a by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    giant dildo!

    (At least, that's what it looks like in the nasa animation.)

  13. Halfway through the hi-res movie by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Am I the only one seeing the giant space-phallus?

    Perhaps I am, and it's time I got a Mac.

  14. I saw a giant.... by Codifex+Maximus · · Score: 1

    head like the ones on Easter Island.

    --
    Codifex Maximus ~ In search of... a shorter sig.
    1. Re:I saw a giant.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I am SOOOOooooo glad I wasn't the only one.

  15. Some video! by fm6 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Where's the cool/ominious whooshing sound that all asteroids make???!!!

  16. I preferred the Bruce Willis version... by slowhand · · Score: 1

    as this movie had no discernable stars...I mean Actors.

    --
    Busy aligning my non-linear thoughts.
  17. Alternative for animation if /.ed.. by adeyadey · · Score: 2, Funny

    Here is an ascii representation of the encounter..
    (Just scroll down & blink quickly)

    .
    o
    o
    O
    O - closest encounter
    O
    o
    o
    .

    --
    "You lied to me! There is a Swansea!"