Posted on 01/26/2012 9:00:55 PM PST by NormsRevenge
A small asteroid will make an extremely close pass by Earth Friday (Jan. 27), coming much nearer than the moon, but the space rock poses no danger of impacting our planet, NASA scientists say.
The newfound asteroid 2012 BX34, which is about the size of a city bus, will pass within 36,750 miles (59,044 kilometers) of Earth at about 10:30 a.m. EST (1530 GMT) Friday, astronomers with NASA's Asteroid Watch program announced via Twitter.
The space rock is about 36 feet (11 meters) wide, making it much too small to pose a threat to Earth.
"It wouldn't get through our atmosphere intact even if it dared to try," Asteroid Watch scientists tweeted today (Jan. 26). Asteroid Watch is based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
Asteroid 2012 BX34 will zip by at a distance about 0.17 times that separating Earth and the moon. The moon orbits Earth at an average distance of about 240,000 miles (386,000 km). [Video and image of asteroid 2012 BX34's orbit]
While the near-Earth asteroid won't hit Earth, it may offer seasoned amateur astronomers a great show if they are in the right viewing location and have good equipment.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
Rominy’s bus just passing away, eh?
I wonder, with a large enough magnet appropriately placed to alter the trajectory, ....
Never mind.
Got a mind of it's own, too, does it?
It’s the size of a twinkiemobile. Who can I throw under it?
Just like one of them SUVs, always a potential terrorist rampaging killer.
Thanks for reminding me!!! I’ve got to go check on mine, to see if it’s still there as I told it to STAY! ... or...if it’s out on the town.
Yet.
Again.
Michelle's Air Force 2 is a reentry vehicle?
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