Posted on 11/16/2010 6:21:12 PM PST by NormsRevenge
A tiny asteroid will zip close by Earth tonight (Nov. 16) at a range much closer than the moon, but poses no threat of striking our planet or even entering the atmosphere, NASA has announced.
The asteroid 2010 WA will pass Earth at 10:44 p.m. EST (0344 GMT), missing the planet by about 24,000 miles (38,000 kilometers), NASA's asteroid-watching team wrote on Twitter. It is nearly 10 feet (3 meters wide), so small it would simply break apart if it encountered Earth's atmosphere.
NASA officials said the asteroid is a "very small space rock" that will pass the Earth at roughly one-tenth the distance between our planet and the moon, according to NASA's AsteroidWatch Twitter feed. [5 Reasons to Care About Asteroids]
On average, the moon is about roughly 238,900 miles (384,402 km) from Earth. Some of the highest satellites above Earth fly in geostationary positions about 22,370 miles (36,000 km) up. The International Space Station sails through space about 220 miles (354 km) above Earth.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
Given the size, not even news worthy.
A bit close for comfort though. Now, if it were 30km, rather than 3m, we should be crapping ourselves.
You can only have so many close shaves...
He protected us from asteroids.
If they’re wrong and it enters our atmosphere and breaks up, anyone for trap shooting? :)
In this case, an inch is as good as 25k miles.
How long until we have endless threads claiming it’s a Chinese missile?
Seriously, will this thing be visible and if so from what direction here in North America?
Would have been nice if the article had pointed out what part of the sky this asteroid would pass thru tonight.
Up ,bonehead
If it is flying that close to the earth, the TSA needs to grope it first.
>>Would have been nice if the article had pointed out what part of the sky this asteroid would pass thru tonight.<<
The upper part... :)
you’d need a quick eye and a good scope.. we had one that was about 28K miles away last month. Space.com lonks to that one in October, has a pic, just a dot of light..
this one would likely burn up in the atmosphere due to its size were it to come to close.
Read any of the comments after that article?
I have read, more times than I can count, that the size of your average shooting star, is SMALLER THAN A GRAIN OF SAND!!! That makes this thing a monster. Don’t know if that equates to serious damage or not, but it’s still big.
If gravity were a fact like these so-called scientists claim, it would pull the thing down to Earth, wouldn’t it?! But when it becomes convenient, gravity is suddenly forgotten!
How many this size will hit the atmosphere tonight and become "falling stars" (meteors)?
in October
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/asteroid-td54-passes-near-earth-101012.html
There are an estimated 30 million unknown asteroids in our solar system, NASA has said.
“If gravity were a fact like these so-called scientists claim, it would pull the thing down to Earth, wouldn’t it?!”
Only if it were going less than 17,500 mph relative to the earth.
Ay that distance the gravity of the earth will probably alter its course a bit.
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