'Damn close' asteroid due to miss hitting us this time ... but only just.

LordSutch

Very scary when you think about it.

A house sized meteor - due to shoot past Earth (between us and the moon), but just missing our orbiting satellites (this time)!

http://news.sky.com/story/damn-close-asteroid-due-to-speed-past-earth-10982627

I don't know what we're going to do when of these things really hit us. Trump, North Korea & Brexit will be the last things on our minds as an impact date is announced > sometime in the not so distant future?

One of Kim Jong Un's inter ballistic missiles would be like a wasp sting by comparison.

jamesbere

Thank Christ it missed, I just put the washing out

sbsquarepants

Jaysus, that's close.:eek:

Darkglasses

"The asteroid is forecast to speed inside the moon's orbit at 27,300 miles (43,935km) - an eighth of the distance between the Earth and the moon."

Thing is, the moon is actually much further away than you think. About 384,000 kilometres from Earth. So, it's about 340, 000 km from Earth. Plus, it's not particularly large. A 15-30m object

Dave0301

Darkglasses wrote: »

"The asteroid is forecast to speed inside the moon's orbit at 27,300 miles (43,935km) - an eighth of the distance between the Earth and the moon."

Thing is, the moon is actually much further away than you think. About 384,000 kilometres from Earth. So, it's about 340, 000 km from Earth. Plus, it's not particularly large. A 15-30m object

No doubt there is some sensationalism from Sky News, but considering the scale of the universe, this would be considered a close call.

LordSutch

The asteroid is forecast to speed inside the moon's orbit at 27,300 miles (43,935km) - an eighth of the distance between the Earth and the moon.

The ESA says it is far enough to just miss our geostationary satellites orbiting at about 22,000 miles (35,405km)".

"It first passed Earth in October 2012 at double the distance, before disappearing. The original observations revealed its next approach would be in October 2017, but its orbit meant it could not be tracked.

However, the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, in Chile, has now located the rock and determined its distance".

Very unpredictable orbit by the sound of it.

Wheeliebin30

Sooner or later we will be hit by one.

Do us all a favour.

Darkglasses

Dave0301 wrote: »

No doubt there is some sensationalism from Sky News, but considering the scale of the universe, this would be considered a close call.

Anything in the Solar System is close by the scale of the universe, and happening all the time. It's in no way actually close to Earth

hairyslug

Too late, shat myself already

bennyineire

Darkglasses wrote: »

"The asteroid is forecast to speed inside the moon's orbit at 27,300 miles (43,935km) - an eighth of the distance between the Earth and the moon."

Thing is, the moon is actually much further away than you think. About 384,000 kilometres from Earth. So, it's about 340, 000 km from Earth. Plus, it's not particularly large. A 15-30m object

Yep and if it did have a collision course with us it would be greatly reduced in size due to our atmosphere and then most likely dump in the Pacific, if by chance it did hit land the chances of it actually landing in a populated area are very remote.

So unlike the OP I will not worry about this "damn close miss" instead I will worry about getting through Friday and enjoying my weekend

sbsquarepants

If it was to hit what kind of damage would we be talking about? Would it make it to the ground intact or break up in the atmosphere or what?

Assuming a 30m diameter ball of rock - that's roughly 14 - 15,000m3 so say region of 35 - 45,000 tons moving at 90,000km/hour (average speed of an asteroid according to google)

It's basically the Ulyesses car ferry, rear ending you while it's being towed down the M50 at 90,000km/h

That's putting a damn big hole in whatever it hits. The way my luck is going however, that's guaranteed to be my roof, so don't stress it, you people are all grand!:D

Nabber

All the Russian dash cams are on standby

CruelCoin

Nabber wrote: »

All the Russian dash cams are on standby

That one that exploded over Russia was roughly house sized wasn't it?

Some broken windows and burst ear drums, but that's about it.

Some people might lose access to netflix, but nothing serious...

sbsquarepants

Nothing serious???

How the fúck do you suggest I find out what happens in the last episode of Ozark? I knew I should have stayed up and watched it last night!

silverharp

they normally hit somewhere foreign, wouldn't be worried

Cee-Jay-Cee

CruelCoin wrote: »

That one that exploded over Russia was roughly house sized wasn't it?

Some broken windows and burst ear drums, but that's about it.

Some people might lose access to netflix, but nothing serious...

Losing Netflix is not a trivial matter!!! :mad:

Barry Badrinath

Darkglasses wrote: »

"The asteroid is forecast to speed inside the moon's orbit at 27,300 miles (43,935km) - an eighth of the distance between the Earth and the moon."

Thing is, the moon is actually much further away than you think. About 384,000 kilometres from Earth. So, it's about 340, 000 km from Earth. Plus, it's not particularly large. A 15-30m object

Buzzkill

kona

Hopefully hits north korea and sorts that problem out.

Shpudnik

LordSutch wrote: »

However, the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, in Chile, has now located the rock and determined its distance".

Very unpredictable orbit by the sound of it.

There is something refreshing in a world of science terms that they would come up with something like this.

sbsquarepants

Shpudnik wrote: »

There is something refreshing in a world of science terms that they would come up with something like this.

I don't know, sounds a little bit like they've ideas above their station to me. Surely in astronomical terms it's a tiny little telescope - but no one is giving any grant money to that!

Iseedeadpixels

Starts thread about a asteroid near miss mentions Trump and N.Korea, christ I can't get away from it!

Syphonax

Hopefully this will solve Brexit once and for all

BrokenArrows

CruelCoin wrote: »

That one that exploded over Russia was roughly house sized wasn't it?

Some broken windows and burst ear drums, but that's about it.

Some people might lose access to netflix, but nothing serious...

To be fair it caused $33 million in damage, not exactly just some broken windows.

But if it hit the ground it would be worse.

Akrasia

What size of house was it?
This?



Or This?

LadyMacBeth_

Anyone else find the prospect a little bit thrilling or is it just me?

I'm thinking more along the lines of an apocalyptic event that would kill everyone on the planet immediately. Say you knew you had a month or two left before it happened, I know that there would be chaos and violence but I reckon it might be a bit exciting too, doing all of the things that you never dared to do before. Well, in theory it sounds thrilling, in reality I'd probably sh1t myself.

Akrasia

Nah, you'd just have a whole load of boring goodbye conversations with everyone you know until you die.

You'd have to visit your elderly aunt Ann to comfort her because she's alone and there goes one out of the 30 remaining afternoons you have left on earth.

sbsquarepants

LadyMacBeth_ wrote: »

Anyone else find the prospect a little bit thrilling or is it just me?
.

I'm more of a zombie apocalypse man myself. There's no craic in being clobbered by a giant space rock.

Grayson

Iseedeadpixels wrote: »

Starts thread about a asteroid near miss mentions Trump and N.Korea, christ I can't get away from it!

I think even Trump supporters are fed up hearing about him at this stage. I'm a politics junkie but even I have to say it's too much. It's silly season and I've yet to see a rabbit on a surfboard.

back on topic, how big was the Tunguska meteor? I've been googling it but there's no references.

Akrasia

Grayson wrote: »

I think even Trump supporters are fed up hearing about him at this stage. I'm a politics junkie but even I have to say it's too much. It's silly season and I've yet to see a rabbit on a surfboard.
[youtue]

Will dogs do?

Syphonax

sbsquarepants wrote: »

I'm more of a zombie apocalypse man myself. There's no craic in being clobbered by a giant space rock.

Sure there is, havent you seen Asteroid vs Earth?

Hector Savage

It's not actually that close.
Passing between the earth and the moons orbit when you look at how far the moon is away, and then look at this circle.

The earth is a tiny bullseye that will always most likely be missed if an asteroid passes within this circle.

It just sounds good (clickbait) to say it will pass between the moons orbit and earth.