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Asteroid Due for Close Approach

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the ka-FOOOM dept.

mernil writes "BBC Reports "A giant space rock was set to whizz past the Earth on Monday under the close scrutiny of astronomers. The mountain-sized object had been classed as a "potentially hazardous asteroid", but scientists say there was no danger of a collision with Earth. [...] At this time calculations suggested it would be about 268,873 miles (432,709km) from the Earth, only 1.1 times the planet's distance from the Moon."

4 of 42 comments (clear)

  1. lunar runin by escay · · Score: 4, Interesting

    so is there a chance that it will hit the moon?

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  2. Photographs of Asteroid? by Rob+Carr · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Does anyone know where to look for photographs taken by amateur photographers of this asteroid?

    When things like this come up (eclipses, occultations of Pleiades, etc.), it would be nice to have a central location where one could go to find links to the photos.

    I should know this, but I don't. I guess I'm only an "amateur" amateur astronomer.

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  3. Re:Bit late .... by canuck57 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The asteroid has already passed at 04:44 GMT across North America

    Shaved past North America is closer to the point. 268,873 miles is nothing in cosmic terms and no doubt close enough for earths magenetic field to influence it. This was a close call.

  4. Re:By Larry Niven by PriceIke · · Score: 3, Interesting

    WOW, Footfall. I read that for the first time sixteen years ago, when I was a college undergrad. There are images still in my head from that book, like them using an Orion concept vehicle in the atmosphere and how oddly unsettled I was whenever they announced over the intercom: "Accelleration. Stand by."

    And of course that emotionally wrenching choice the President must make at the very end of the book. That scene still haunts me to this day.

    Incredible book. Thanks for bringing up the memories. And oh yeah, I hope we don't all die today because they calculated with inches instead of centimeters.

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