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2010 AL30, Asteroid Or Space Junk, To Pay a Close Visit

Posted by kdawson on from the threading-the-needle dept.

astroengine writes "A near-Earth object that could be manmade has just been discovered hurtling toward us. On Wednesday (Jan. 13), an object called 2010 AL30 will fly by Earth at a distance of just 130,000 km (80,000 miles). That's only one-third of the way from here to the moon, i.e. very close. It will miss us, and if it did hit us, it wouldn't do any damage anyway, but I managed to pick up on some chatter between planetary scientists and found out that the 'asteroid,' or whatever it is, gives us a new standard: a 10-meter-wide asteroid can be detected two days before it potentially hits Earth. A pretty useful warning if you ask me."

26 of 136 comments (clear)

  1. VGER by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    V*GER is coming home!

    1. Re:VGER by ThinkWeak · · Score: 2, Funny

      Oddly enough, the first film seemed like it took two days to watch as well

  2. Two days? by Finallyjoined!!! · · Score: 3, Funny

    Not much of a sodding warning. Can you stock up & get to high ground/underground in two days?

    --
    If I had an Ass, I'd call it Fanny Bottom, then I could slap my Ass; Fanny Bottom, on the Arse.
    1. Re:Two days? by Ginger+Unicorn · · Score: 2, Insightful

      sounds like a recipe for carnage if the projected impact zone is a highly populated area. hey everyone in new york city - you have two days to clear the city - ready,steady,go!

      although that carnage is neither here nor there when the alternative is being obliterated instantly.

      --
      (1.21 gigawatts) / (88 miles per hour) = 30 757 874 newtons
    2. Re:Two days? by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 2, Informative

      There was a turtle by the name of Burt, and Burt the turtle was very alert...

    3. Re:Two days? by MrMr · · Score: 3, Insightful

      From driving there I was under the impression that everybody got into and out of New York city on a daily basis anyway.
      Why would this be different?

    4. Re:Two days? by brunokummel · · Score: 2, Funny

      Not much of a sodding warning. Can you stock up & get to high ground/underground in two days?

      ...humm you could get high...

      --
      What is best in life? To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you and to hear the lamentations of their women.
    5. Re:Two days? by rubycodez · · Score: 2, Funny

      I was hoping to have some hot young chick let me kiss her bum goodbye

    6. Re:Two days? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      The box contains nothing.

      Nothing has more mass than the entire universe

      Therefore, the box has more mass than the rock.

  3. Nobody asked you, thanks. by Rogerborg · · Score: 3, Funny
    • Scientician: Mr President of Earth, we've picked up an asteroid on a potential collision course with earth!
    • Mr President of Earth: Great Scott! Will it hit us?
    • Scientician: Yes! Maybe. I mean, probably. We're pretty sure that it might.
    • Mr President of Earth: And how much damage will it do?
    • Scientician: Ah, a good question. That depends on what it's made of.
    • Mr President of Earth: What's it made of?
    • Scientician: We're 92% confident that we'll learn that with a 57% probability after it hits us.
    • Mr President of Earth: ... 'k. And where will it hit?
    • Scientician: Well, if it hits the earth, it's more likely to hit a wet bit. Unless it doesn't. And it'll probably be in the Northern hemisphere, unless it's not.
    • Mr President of Earth: So we should...?
    • Scientician: Well, gee, sir, that's your decision. I just do the Science.
    --
    If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
    1. Re:Nobody asked you, thanks. by stjobe · · Score: 3, Funny

      Scientician? WTF?

      Ah:

      "According to The Simpsons, a "scientician" is "a scientist with questionable credentials who publicly supports spurious hypotheses."

      --
      "Total destruction the only solution" - Bob Marley
  4. Not an asteroid? by Rhaban · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Isn't a man-made space objet, like a satellite, much easier to detect than a piece of rock because it's all metally and shiny (except in the case of a secret orbtial space station with climate laser weapons used for the supremacy of an evil overlord ready to conquier the world, but it seems unlikely such a thing would just fall out of its orbit)?

    If so, it doesn't really tell us anything about detecting a earth-crushing meteor far before the impact.

    1. Re:Not an asteroid? by kalidasa · · Score: 2, Informative

      Or, in somewhat more technical terms, the fact that they suspect it's manmade suggests it has a very high albedo, which would make it much easier to find.

    2. Re:Not an asteroid? by Sockatume · · Score: 3, Informative

      It's not thought to be "space junk" any more: it was thought it might be an old booster segment but apparently based on its path there's no rocket launch that it could've come from.

      --
      No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
  5. Re:2 days? by flyingfsck · · Score: 2, Informative

    My guess is that schtuff coming from behind the sun mostly tends to fall either into the sun, or be wildly accelerated away in a hyperbole. So the 'blind spot' is likely a rather 'safe spot'.

    --
    Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
  6. Doesn't mean anything by noname444 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The fact that we've detected a 10m wide object once, a couple of days before it hits (or doesn't hit), doesn't mean anything. It might be that we can detect every such object or one in a million.

  7. Oblig. Futurama reference by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    So should we send another ball of garbage to deflect it?

    1. Re:Oblig. Futurama reference by jefu · · Score: 2, Funny

      You mean Bruce Willis? (oblig Armageddon reference).

  8. Re:2 days? by j-b0y · · Score: 2, Informative

    Unlikely! Gaia will not be launched until 2012.

    --
    Please remain calm, there is no reason to pani... wait, where are you all going?
  9. That's your own fault by dreamchaser · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If you do not always have at least one (preferably at least four) weeks of food and water handy then you're daft anyways. We've grown so complacent and soft. I'm not a survivalist per se but we keep plenty of food stores and several gallons of potable water handy in case of a natural (or even unnatural) disaster.

    As for getting to high ground, well you chose where you live :)

    1. Re:That's your own fault by ceoyoyo · · Score: 4, Funny

      I have lots of neighbours. They should last for months.

  10. A what where now?! by Provocateur · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Even more alarming is where I heard it first...on frackin Slashdot!

    * me nervous

    --
    WARNING: Smartphones have side effects--most of them undocumented.
  11. Colonel, you better have a look at this radar... by franiu · · Score: 5, Funny

    Radar Operator: Colonel, you better have a look at this radar.
    Colonel: What is it, son?
    Radar Operator: I don't know, sir, but it looks like a giant...
    Jet Pilot: Dick. Dick, take a look out of starboard.
    Co-Pilot: Oh my God, it looks like a huge...
    Bird-Watching Woman: Pecker.
    Bird-Watching Man: [raising binoculars] Ooh, Where?
    Bird-Watching Woman: Over there. What sort of bird is that? Wait, it's not a woodpecker, it looks like someone's...
    Army Sergeant: Privates. We have reports of an unidentified flying object. It has a long, smooth shaft, complete with...
    Baseball Umpire: Two balls.
    [looking up from game]
    Baseball Umpire: What is that. It looks just like an enormous...
    Chinese Teacher: Wang. pay attention.
    Wang: I was distracted by that giant flying...
    Musician: Willie.
    Willie: Yeah?
    Musician: What's that?
    Willie: [squints] Well, that looks like a huge...
    Colonel: Johnson.
    Radar Operator: Yes, sir?
    Colonel: Get on the horn to British Intelligence and let them know about this.

    We should get ready for Dr. Evil...

  12. Re:2 days? by Muad'Dave · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...wildly accelerated away in a hyperbole

    How apropos - "wildly accelerated" is hyperbole. Oh you mean "hyperbola".

    --
    Tiller's Rule: Never use a word in written form that you've only heard and never read. You will end up looking foolish.
  13. Close encounters by Muad'Dave · · Score: 3, Interesting

    If you can trust extrapolating the orbit backwards in time (you can't), JPL's orbital tool shows that this object had a 'close encounter' with Venus on Apr 15th, 2006. It also looks suspiciously like an Earth-Mars trajectory launched around Jan 12th, 2007. I was unable to find any corresponding launches, however.

    Real Astronomers (TM) have now discounted the object being man-made, but it is interesting to speculate.

    --
    Tiller's Rule: Never use a word in written form that you've only heard and never read. You will end up looking foolish.
  14. You've never tried to get on the R line at 08:15. by crovira · · Score: 2, Insightful

    There's no such thing as a patient New Yorker. Not a living one anyway.

    --
    MSBPodcast.com The opinions expressed here are my own. If you don't like 'em... Think up your own stuff.