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Asteroid Near-Misses (AKA: Holy Shit! We're All Going to Die)

Sid said:
Does that mean it's going to pass the Earth only *(update) 1,988,387.82 miles above us? If so, I'd call that a pretty close call! I wonder if it's passing will have some, if any, effect on the Earths atmosphere/weather patterns, or is it well beyond that?
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"There yah go" . . . turns out it was only 2,200 miles above the Earth’s surface after all! Seems I picked the wrong webpage to look that one up first time round. :comphit:
 
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Trevp666 said:
Absolutely not at all worrying in any way.

'Invisible' asteroids as big as Hiroshima bombs 'may strike Earth any second'
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world-news/invisible-asteroids-big-hiroshima-bombs-29236482
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Two things:

a) It's the Daily Star ...... that tatty rag and many others just love a bit of nonsense fear-mongering to rake in the readers

b) Does the headline mean that the asteroid will be the physical size of the weapon itself or are they referring to an asteroid the size of one of the bomb's blast radii ? (and no, I refuse to give the DS a click)

Either way I just shrug my shoulders at this type of piffle, as I hope everyone else does.
 
Hogarth999 said:
Two things:
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Two answers:

a) Yes indeed - and apparently if you scrunch it up a bit it'll be softened enough for other uses.

b) Dunno. I'll go and re-read it to save you bother of clicking on it. Hang on.

b (0.1) ) Ahah! Even their own headline is incorrect in relation to their own article. Basically what they're saying is that the asteroid that exploded over Chelyabinsk was not spotted because it came in from the direction of the sun, and 'exploded with the force of approx 35 Hiroshima bombs'. So other asteroids with a similar amount of energy could be on the way from that same direction but they don't point telescopes that way because, well, 'the sun'.
They don't mention any actual size comparisons to the actual dimensions of Little Boy, which was only about 28 inches in diameter and 10 feet long.
 
Trevp666 said:
Two answers:

a) Yes indeed - and apparently if you scrunch it up a bit it'll be softened enough for other uses.

b) Dunno. I'll go and re-read it to save you bother of clicking on it. Hang on.

b (0.1) ) Ahah! Even their own headline is incorrect in relation to their own article. Basically what they're saying is that the asteroid that exploded over Chelyabinsk was not spotted because it came in from the direction of the sun, and 'exploded with the force of approx 35 Hiroshima bombs'. So other asteroids with a similar amount of energy could be on the way from that same direction but they don't point telescopes that way because, well, 'the sun'.
They don't mention any actual size comparisons to the actual dimensions of Little Boy, which was only about 28 inches in diameter and 10 feet long.
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Just live your life thinking every day could be your last is my advice. Then if it isn't, every tomorrow is a bonus. I missed my vocation, not going into writing soppy greetings cards.
 
Trevp666 said:
Two answers:

a) Yes indeed - and apparently if you scrunch it up a bit it'll be softened enough for other uses.

b) Dunno. I'll go and re-read it to save you bother of clicking on it. Hang on.

b (0.1) ) Ahah! Even their own headline is incorrect in relation to their own article. Basically what they're saying is that the asteroid that exploded over Chelyabinsk was not spotted because it came in from the direction of the sun, and 'exploded with the force of approx 35 Hiroshima bombs'. So other asteroids with a similar amount of energy could be on the way from that same direction but they don't point telescopes that way because, well, 'the sun'.
They don't mention any actual size comparisons to the actual dimensions of Little Boy, which was only about 28 inches in diameter and 10 feet long.
Click to expand...
Doesn't surprise me that the headline didn't match the article, it's common practice these days unfortunately. The media are pretty despicable with this and a great many other things.
 
('skyscraper sized')

"4 big asteroids are flying by Earth this week, but don't worry. They aren't getting too close."
The near-Earth asteroids are all passing within 4.6 million miles (7.5 million kilometres) of our planet — close enough to make NASA's potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA) list — but none will come closer than 2.2 million miles (3.5 million km), according to NASA's weekly chart of asteroid passes(opens in new tab).

https://www.space.com/four-big-asteroid-flybys-february-march-2023
 
160ft asteroid could crash into Earth on Valentine's Day 2046

Chances currently low though.

2023 DW was first discovered in Chile at the end of February and is predicted to have a 1 in 560 chance of hitting Earth.
NASA said: "We've been tracking a new asteroid named 2023 DW that has a very small chance of impacting Earth in 2046.

"Often when new objects are first discovered, it takes several weeks of data to reduce the uncertainties and adequately predict their orbits years into the future.

"Orbit analysts will continue to monitor asteroid 2023 DW and update predictions as more data comes in."

The space agency said the asteroid has an average diameter of 49m and is currently 0.12 astronomical units (au) - or 11 billion miles - from Earth.

However, if the asteroid does hit it would not likely cause a global catastrophe.
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Said to be of similar size to the Tunguska event.
 
Didn't I read somewhere that it is one of the asteroids that is being 'pencilled in' for a shot at redirecting it with a nudge while it is still millions of miles away?
 
Trevp666 said:
Didn't I read somewhere that it is one of the asteroids that is being 'pencilled in' for a shot at redirecting it with a nudge while it is still millions of miles away?
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"Oops! Sorry guys. We nudged it the wrong way......."

IMG-20230309-WA0000.jpg
 
Hmmmm, so a flyby at a distance of 2.5 million miles. Somebody wake me up when one is at a distance of 2.5 miles. :)
 
2.5 million miles is quite some distance indeed, but in astronomical terms, it's only a few seconds error in the calculations and it's goodbye to (eg) Doncaster.
 
Trevp666 said:
2.5 million miles is quite some distance indeed, but in astronomical terms, it's only a few seconds error in the calculations and it's goodbye to (eg) Doncaster.
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Doesn't have the same ring as Chicxulub does it? The primates were wiped out by the Doncaster impact.
 
One also for the 'comparing sizes' thread.
(I think 'Terror Alarm' must read the FTMB)

NASA monitoring 'killer' asteroid size of '38 Caribbean Flamingos' that could hit Earth
The asteroid could be as wide as 165 feet and science-based news website Inverse offered a more helpful size comparison, saying that 2023 DW is around the size of the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy.
Terror Alarm, which has described recent asteroids as being "the size of 4 Adult Brontosaurus Dinosaurs" and "the size of 23 Borzoi dogs - 5-year-old male", generate quite the response to their metrics.
"Why are they describing sizes so strangely?" someone asked.
A second said: "I wish Americans for once would use the metric system".
etc etc etc etc
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world-news/nasa-monitoring-killer-asteroid-size-29511194
 
Trevp666 said:
One also for the 'comparing sizes' thread.
(I think 'Terror Alarm' must read the FTMB)

NASA monitoring 'killer' asteroid size of '38 Caribbean Flamingos' that could hit Earth
The asteroid could be as wide as 165 feet and science-based news website Inverse offered a more helpful size comparison, saying that 2023 DW is around the size of the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy.
Terror Alarm, which has described recent asteroids as being "the size of 4 Adult Brontosaurus Dinosaurs" and "the size of 23 Borzoi dogs - 5-year-old male", generate quite the response to their metrics.
"Why are they describing sizes so strangely?" someone asked.
A second said: "I wish Americans for once would use the metric system".
etc etc etc etc
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world-news/nasa-monitoring-killer-asteroid-size-29511194
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Oh, no. Caribbean flamingos. I thought they meant lesser flamingos. We're doomed. :willy:
 
What if the projections are wrong?

An asteroid big enough to wipe out a city will travel harmlessly between Earth and the moon’s orbit this weekend, missing both celestial bodies.

Saturday’s close encounter will offer astronomers the chance to study a space rock from just over 100,000 miles away. That is less than half the distance from here to the moon, making it visible through binoculars and small telescopes.

There is no chance of this ‘city killer’ striking Earth, but its close approach offers a great opportunity for observation. While asteroid flybys are common, Nasa said it is rare for one so big to come so close – about once a decade. Scientists estimate its size to be somewhere between 130 feet and 300 feet.

Discovered a month ago, the asteroid known as 2023 DZ2 will pass within 320,000 miles of the moon on Saturday and, several hours later, pass above the Indian Ocean at about 17,500mph.

“There is no chance of this ‘city killer’ striking Earth, but its close approach offers a great opportunity for observations,” said the European Space Agency’s planetary defence chief, Richard Moissl.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/world/arid-41100640.html
 
ramonmercado said:
What if the projections are wrong?

An asteroid big enough to wipe out a city will travel harmlessly between Earth and the moon’s orbit this weekend, missing both celestial bodies.

Saturday’s close encounter will offer astronomers the chance to study a space rock from just over 100,000 miles away. That is less than half the distance from here to the moon, making it visible through binoculars and small telescopes.

There is no chance of this ‘city killer’ striking Earth, but its close approach offers a great opportunity for observation. While asteroid flybys are common, Nasa said it is rare for one so big to come so close – about once a decade. Scientists estimate its size to be somewhere between 130 feet and 300 feet.

Discovered a month ago, the asteroid known as 2023 DZ2 will pass within 320,000 miles of the moon on Saturday and, several hours later, pass above the Indian Ocean at about 17,500mph.

“There is no chance of this ‘city killer’ striking Earth, but its close approach offers a great opportunity for observations,” said the European Space Agency’s planetary defence chief, Richard Moissl.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/world/arid-41100640.html
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I'm not taking any chances. I am sleeping UNDER the bed from now on.
 
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