Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

First Photos of Asteroid 2011 MD

Posted by Soulskill on from the bruce-willis-alert-level-reduced-to-green dept.

astroengine writes "At around 1 p.m. EDT on Monday, asteroid 2011 MD narrowly missed Earth's atmosphere, passing well within the orbits of our GPS satellites. Scientists worked hard to track the space rock, and astronomers using the 2-meter Faulkes Telescope in Siding Spring, Australia, managed to image the asteroid. Also, Planetary Science Institute research scientist Pasquale Tricarico put together some pretty cool asteroid-eye-view animations of the event."

6 of 26 comments (clear)

  1. Photos... by c0lo · · Score: 2

    Proper photos or some movie clips... or it didn't happen.
    (TL;DR abstract - all I could see were some traces of light. Bruce Willis didn't bother)

    --
    Questions raise, answers kill. Raise questions to stay alive.
    1. Re:Photos... by majikthyze · · Score: 2

      Many amateurs imaged the asteroid flyby as well. I have a video at:
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCN77UZ2RUo
      The asteroid dips in brightness every 11.66 minutes -- you can see it regularly changing brightness in the video.

      Its only ~10m in diameter. I keep picturing Bruce Willis strapped to the rock in a black space suit going round and round every 11.66 minutes....

    2. Re:Photos... by Dr+La · · Score: 2

      Here's an image I took, using the 0.61-meter F/10 Cassegrain of Sierra Stars Obs. in California:

      http://sattrackcam.blogspot.com/2011/06/ot-close-encounters-of-rocky-kind-2011.html

      --
      Ceterum censeo Carthaginem delendam esse
  2. Re:Would be fun to slap an instrument pack on this by SnarfQuest · · Score: 2

    If we could ever get ready ahead of time it would be cool to throw up a net to entangle this thing with a bunch of instruments.
    It looks to be just rocky enough to hold together and carry a signification package of radios and particle collection panels etc.

    Maybe we could brake it enough to put it in orbit.

    Lawyers ears perk up all over the world...

    Ever see an instrument after it comes into contact with a rock traveling at many times the speed of sound? If there was an atmosphere to carry the sound, "thwack!" would be an understatement.

    --
    Who would win this election: Andrew Weiner vs Andrew Weiner's weiner.
  3. Re:Title by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 2

    He's just a dentist, probably just checking out our gravities.

    --

    "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

  4. Re:Who would it have hit? by osu-neko · · Score: 2

    Actually, it wouldn't have hit anyone, but it'd have made for an impressive light show as it burned up in the atmosphere.

    --
    "Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies."