Posted on 08/27/2018 8:16:21 AM PDT by BenLurkin
Earth is set for another spooky encounter with a 700 metre asteroid that looks uncannily like a skull. The space rock first passed ‘close’ to our planet at 78,000mph (125,500km/h) at a distance of 310,000 miles (499,000km) on October 31, 2015, just in time for Halloween. Now, it’s set to make a return in November 2018.
This fall, the space rock, known as 2015 TB145, will flyby at a less dramatic distance than the last one. The asteroid will zoom past the planet at about 105 Earth-moon distances, compared to just under 1.3 lunar distances last time around. Astronomers analysing the 2015 readings found that the asteroid likely completes one rotation every 2.94 hours. The object measures between 625 and 700 metres (2,000 to 2,300 feet), its shape is a slightly flattened ellipsoid, and its rotation axis was roughly perpendicular to the Earth at the time of its closest proximity.
The amount of heat which it retains and the speed at which it absorbs or transfers heat is consistent with that of similar sized asteroids. The reflectivity or albedo of the surface of this asteroid is around five or six per cent.
In a written statement, researcher Pablo Santos-Sanz, from the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia, said: ‘This means that it is very dark, only slightly more reflective than charcoal...."
(Excerpt) Read more at strangesounds.org ...
I heard it’s a sign that God is angry with the Pope?
Don’t make SMOD angry.
LOL! Brings back memories of all the quarters I lost, once upon a time. :)
Maybe it will hit the Moon instead of Earth.
Be one hell of a show, and maybe knock the Moon out of its orbit, spiraling in toward the earth.
Of course, that would require the repeal of any number of laws of physics.
Mot to mention the cancellation of every astrology item in every newspaper
Look on the bright side. We would not have to worry about global warming.
It’s the ‘Rats bat shiet cray-cray pebble ...
Is this thing orbiting the Earth?
No
“People of Earth, get your sh*t together or else!”
Whoa, in 2015 it was 302K miles, this year 310K, not a bunch of difference.
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