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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 ...
How does ‘gas’ in a vaccuum condense down to form the solid rocks we call asteroids. It has always puzzled me. Surely they must be chips off a bigger block? If yes, what knocked the chips off that big block?
“If yes, what knocked the chips off that big block?”
Aliens playing asteroids.
At 3m, there wouldn’t be much left of it by the time it burned its way through the atmosphere. I still wouldn’t want it hitting my car though. lol
I’m sure someone here has the math to explain how much it would effect its course. I sure don’t.
That sucker would bounce right off my 85 Eldorado Biarritz!
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http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/
Nasa
Near Earth Object program
Coming Attractions page
More info , click on the 2010 WA link, lots of info on orbital diagram , etc..
How does ‘gas’ in a vaccuum condense down to form the solid rocks we call asteroids. It has always puzzled me. Surely they must be chips off a bigger block? If yes, what knocked the chips off that big block?
— beats the heck out of me.. galactic collisions gaseous clouds dark matter and energy,, I would think the pressures would be pretty intense, no telling what poor little atoms are gonna do or become..
Trying to explain orbital mechanics to the Luddites is like casting pearls before swine.
“orbital mechanics “
Is that like a chevy?
I was reading about the effects of gravity of an earth mass body vs distance a few days ago and I couldn’t begin to calculate it.
Watching the telemetry for the apollo 11 mission was pretty interesting. Until I sat and watched the replay of the whole thing online last year I didn’t realize that the speed of the craft fell off so much before it started falling toward the moon. The speed fell off to fighter jet speeds before the craft began falling and accelerating toward the moon.
And to think they did all that with less on board computing power than a modern calculator.
I’m still waiting on New Horizons to make a flyby of pluto. Better than halfway there and still about 5 years to go.
Guys with buzz cuts, pocket protectors, and slide rules.
Wonder what the powers that be will tell us six hours before something is going to hit and do real damage?
lol.. altho notice how Obama is always on the move.. ya never know. ;-)
Leonid meteor shower peaks out on Wednesday night 17NOV to the morning hours of the Thursday the 18th. If you have clear skies just look east.
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