Calculations based on available data indicates that at closest approach to Earth on March 5, 2013 TX68 could pass as far away as 9 million miles (14 million kilometers) or as close as 11,000 miles (17,000 kilometers).
Quite a wide margin.
You would think by now they would be able to predict these things better.
I was getting all calm and not bothered about it until I read on Wiki about the Russian meteorite that exploded over Chelyabinsk.
It is estimated to be about 20 mtrs in diameter.
And it produced an atmospheric blast of 500 KT.
So... see ya on March 6th!
Hopefully!
;-)
That would be like saying that if you are standing in an empty parking lot, a car is going to drive past you at 100mph. The car will pass by anywhere from 6 feet away from you to 1 mile away from you.
How could the measurements be so imprecise that the range is 8,989,000 miles, but they do know for sure that it will be at least 11,000 away from us?
“Nuke it from orbit. . .it’s the only way to be sure”
Great practice target for attempting a redirect that might be needed on one that’s got Earth in a bullseye in the future.