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Asteroid Explodes Over Sudan
radioweather writes "A recently discovered
Apollo Asteroid, 2008 TC3,
exploded over Sudan at about 1046 EDT on October 7, 2008, according to
astronomer Tim Spahr of Harvard University 2008 TC3 was discovered on Monday by an observer at the Mt Lemmon
Observatory near Tucson, Arizona. 2008 TC3 is notable in that it is
the first Asteroid of its size that was identified before impact and tracking it
put the entire
Spaceguard tracking system to an extreme test. TC3 is estimated to be only two to five meters in diameter but
exploded with the force of a one kiloton of explosive power." We mentioned the asteroid last on Monday, when it was only at a 99.8 percent chance of colliding with Earth.
Pics or it didn't happen.
Let's hope this doesn't wound their bustling economy and leave them as poor as the Americans.
Who tought that a team of oil drillers would fail that mission?
TFA is clearly wrong. The image looks more like it is exploding Sudan, rather than exploding over Sudan.
FOXTROT UNIFORM CHARLIE KILO
Liike like this one sure beat the odds and proved everyone wrong...
-Space for rent
We mentioned the asteroid last on Monday, when it was only at a 99.8 percent chance of colliding with Earth.
[pedantic] you mean a 99.8 chance of colliding with Earth's atmosphere. [/pedantic]
From Slashdot's previous summary:
The asteroid is assumed to be 3-4 meters in size; it is expected to burn up completely in the atmosphere, causing no harm
...so don't go running underground just yet, kids.
Spacewatch.com covered this about as well as one could expect. Apparently a couple airline pilots saw the possible fireball, but that's about it. I've seen no photos yet (probably none were captured). So although we infer the thing burned up (or "exploded!one!!111!!eleven" as per the /. headline), it's not as sensationalistic as Our Editors make it out to be.
Third result on google for "Asteroid Sudan" is on the foodnetwork. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=asteroid+sudan&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq=
Over.
It completely burned up miles above the surface. That quote is like saying "Drakin020 had a birthday party with cake! No deaths have been reported yet." In other words, it's purely sensationalism. Though it is a true statement, no deaths will *ever* be reported due to this event, because none occurred.
Their most powerful weapon can be dismissed as nothing but a fireworks show.
I, for one, welcome our claim as overlords over these asteroid-flinging insects.
I am the richest astronaut ever to win the superbowl.
Trouble with meteoroids? Try new Cosmic Preparation H!
Would someone please search the Sudan desert for alien spores that will begin taking over human bodies if we don't kill them now while they are helpless?
I don't know; have you ever been to one of Drakin020's birthday parties?
I was under the impression that these sort of tiny asteroids burned up in our atmosphere all the time and were observed as shooting stars.
We mentioned the asteroid last on Monday, when it was only at a 99.8 percent chance of colliding with Earth.
Mm.. so I suppose that means it now has a 0.0 percent chance of colliding with the Earth. Or is that number now 'NaN' since it doesn't exist anymore?
Cheers!
Sean
Yale said it was gonna hit the moon.
Columbia said it was gonna splash into the Indian Ocean.
Princeton said it was not really there.
NYCC said "Whatsup with that?"
The SEC said "Deep fry more chikin".
The Pac-10 said, "Dude, Surfs up"
The Big-10 said, "Time to go huntin".
Everybody else didn't have a clue.
In my other life, I eat cats.
You seriously over-estimate the level of technology available in Sudan.
(And the number of people per square mile, if it's in northern Sudan... It's quite possible there were only a few people within a hundred miles.)
Don't forget that it was only two to five meters when measured head-on. When measured from the side it would only be one to four meters, and from the back four to seven meters.
Toil is Stupid. Don't be Stupid.
Don't be fooled people. I've seen the movies. I know these things come in groups. If there's one, there's more, and a bigger one is surely on it's way. First the Tsunami, then Katrina and Ike, then the Economy, now this. Those of you who haven't been saved are doomed.
BTW, anyone want to buy a copy of my newsletter?
Head-on, apply directly to the atmosphere. Head-on, apply directly to the atmosphere. Head-on, apply directly to the atmosphere.
I need the number for Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, and Rip Torn...
Something witty.
The International Astronomical Union should in the next General Assembly, decides, after a long week of intense discussions, that
1) meter sized asteroids should be called from now on "dwarf asteroids"
2) vaporized dwarf and normal asteroids should be declassified and put in the list of exctinct celestial bodies.
From TFA:
"UPDATE: Please note that the use of an alarmist headline and imagery to increase the casual reader's desire to look at the entire article was an intentional parody."
CNN should hard-code that into their website's header.
--I'm so big, my sig has its own sig.
-- See?
"extreme test" my ass. I get all the "extreme" I could ever need on Discovery Channel, please keep the language inflation off Slashdot.
"What happened to the 'kaboom'? There was supposed to be an earth-shattering 'kaboom'!"
Why, without your clothes, you're naked, Miss Dudley!
From TFA: "A 20 to 50 meter asteroid exploding over a major city could result in a significant loss of property and life." Good to see they have their priorities straight...
Yes, it was a bit touch and go there while the US, China and Russia were falling over themselves looking for stuff to veto to prevent anything from getting done.
Exercise for the reader: count the number of vetoes by nation and see just -why- the UN is "doing nothing"
Thanks to discovery.com's commercials, I learned that most meteors burn up in Earth's atmosphere.
Ah the atmosphere. Ahhhh!
Hm, no wonder we have global warming. The meteors use up all the oxygen.
-- Cheers!
Calls himself General Zod, although I don't think his beard is regulation. Says he's looking for the office of solitude, or something like that. Says he's fresh from the Sudan, but I'm not sure about that as he's dressed ready for a disco...
Task Mangler
All this asteroids vs meteoroids talk on Slashdot just gave hemoroids a new meaning to me. There even is a crater!
Yes, we know - an asteroid was tracked, blew up just as expected, and that's it. Have a look at the very nice "Bad Astronomy" site:
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/10/06/incoming-2/
While this article shows an artists impression of a huge asteroid striking our planet, text like "No deaths have been reported yet." and talking about equivalency to nuclear devices.
This kind of article belongs in a bottom-of-the-line newspaper like the german "Bild" or some crappy little website, but not on Slashdot, thanks.
Free PC version of ChipWits at http://www.breueronline.de/klaus/chipwits/