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NASA: An Asteroid Will Barely Avoid Slamming Into Earth Today
TBI ^ | 6-27-2011 | David Edwards, The Raw Story

Posted on 06/27/2011 10:08:33 AM PDT by blam

NASA: An Asteroid Will Barely Avoid Slamming Into Earth Today

David Edwards, The Raw Story
Jun. 27, 2011, 11:47 AM

Image: Flickr Ed Sweeny

Astronomers have just discovered an asteroid that is expected come close enough to Earth Monday that it will be visible with amateur telescopes.

The Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research centre (LINEAR) spotted Asteroid 2011 MD on June 22. It has an orbit similar to Earth's.

The asteroid will be visible from parts of South Africa and Antarctica when it makes its closest approach at 1:14 p.m. EDT (1714 GMT), passing just 7,500 miles (12,000 kilometers) from the Earth's surface. The rock will be so close that its trajectory will be sharply altered by the Earth's gravity.

"There is no chance that 2011 MD will hit Earth but scientists will use the close pass as opportunity to study it w/ radar observations," NASA's @AsteroidWatch tweeted last week.

Scientists say there is no danger of the bus-sized object striking Earth this time, but an impact is possible when it makes the next pass in 2022.

"Asteroid 2011 MD measures about 10 meters. Stony asteroids less than 25 m would break up in Earth's atmosphere & not cause ground damage," NASA wrote on their Twitter page.

The record for near-miss asteroids was set in February when 2011 CQ1 came with 3,400 miles (5,471 kilometers) of the planet.

Image: NASA

(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 2011md; asteroid; byebye; catastrophism; doomsday; nasa; ohoh; space
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To: blam

Thankfully, folks with real degrees in real science can calculate orbits.

Now, just think of a “climate change” dunderhead was doing those calculations.

Oh, the humanity.......


21 posted on 06/27/2011 10:23:33 AM PDT by Da Coyote
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To: blam

Put your head between your legs and kiss your a@@ Goodbye


22 posted on 06/27/2011 10:27:01 AM PDT by lucky american (I'm tired.)
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To: brownsfan

Global warming causes asteroid impacts. After long sojourns throught the unimaginable cold of deep space, the asteroids look for a warm place to retire.


23 posted on 06/27/2011 10:27:20 AM PDT by swain_forkbeard (Rationality may not be sufficient, but it is necessary.)
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To: blam

Why does Earth always get the passive voice?

How about, “Earth barely misses squashing meteor today”?


24 posted on 06/27/2011 10:27:41 AM PDT by PetroniusMaximus
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To: blam
Asteroid 2011 MD measures about 10 meters. Stony asteroids less than 25 m would break up in Earth's atmosphere & not cause ground damage,"

So it's going to miss us, but even if it hit us, it wouldn't do anything notable.

Would probably put on a quick 3 second show though.

25 posted on 06/27/2011 10:28:10 AM PDT by dead (I've got my eye out for Mullah Omar.)
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To: lildoc511

If Cheney wanted to crash an asteroid into Earth, he would have done it already. His weather-control machine has been upgraded.


26 posted on 06/27/2011 10:28:55 AM PDT by swain_forkbeard (Rationality may not be sufficient, but it is necessary.)
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To: blam

The big one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtuIVM61nKE


27 posted on 06/27/2011 10:30:06 AM PDT by Rebelbase
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To: blam
The rock will be so close that its trajectory will be sharply altered by the Earth's gravity.... an impact is possible when it makes the next pass in 2022.

So they've already done the trajectory analysis? I call BS on the "next time" hypothesis...

28 posted on 06/27/2011 10:30:58 AM PDT by jonno (Having an opinion is not the same as having the answer...)
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To: lildoc511

by the freeper clock you already missed it.


29 posted on 06/27/2011 10:31:38 AM PDT by George from New England (Escaped CT in 2006, now living north of Tampa)
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To: blam; SunkenCiv

SC - In case blam did not send this to you for Catastrophism.


30 posted on 06/27/2011 10:32:34 AM PDT by gleeaikin
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To: jonno

The data they get in this hour will give them 1000 times the accuracy to predict the 2022 pass.


31 posted on 06/27/2011 10:32:55 AM PDT by George from New England (Escaped CT in 2006, now living north of Tampa)
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To: blam
closest approach at 1:14 p.m. EDT

Well, that passed four minutes ago (20 by the busted FR posting clock), so I guess we dodged a bullet.....

32 posted on 06/27/2011 10:33:00 AM PDT by ErnBatavia (It's not the Obama Administration....it's the "Obama Regime".)
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To: blam

OUCH!


33 posted on 06/27/2011 10:33:54 AM PDT by bannie ("The gov't that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend upon the support of Paul." ))
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To: brownsfan

Global warming attracted it! The sky is falling!!Well, maybe not.


34 posted on 06/27/2011 10:36:27 AM PDT by ruesrose (It's possible to be clueless without being blonde.)
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To: blam

You might say it’s a warning shot over the bow...


35 posted on 06/27/2011 10:37:40 AM PDT by BigFinn (The King is coming and He isn't riding a donkey this time.)
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To: blam

Women and minorities hardest hit.


36 posted on 06/27/2011 10:37:55 AM PDT by Retired Greyhound
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To: brownsfan
What does this have to do with Global Warming?

They are both Bush's fault.

37 posted on 06/27/2011 10:41:13 AM PDT by kennedy (No relation to those other Kennedys.)
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To: blam
Thought for today:

“Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result.”

- Winston Churchill, The Story of the Malakand Field Force: An Episode of Frontier War (1898), Chapter X

38 posted on 06/27/2011 10:42:14 AM PDT by Cheburashka (Barack Obama, the Stickless Wonder.)
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To: blam

Bush’s Fault..


39 posted on 06/27/2011 10:42:14 AM PDT by RonaldReagan4Ever
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To: ErnBatavia

Just logged on. What happened? Did we just almost get killed..........again?

Another day, another close call! :-)


40 posted on 06/27/2011 10:43:19 AM PDT by sneakers ("Obama is like the dog that chased a car and caught it. Now he doesn't know what to do with it.")
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