Asteroid 2003XJ7 flyby

Spaceweather ^ | 12-6-2003 | Orlando

[Orlando]

Discovered only yesterday, a small asteroid named 2003 XJ7 will fly by our planet today 150,000 km away--- barely 40 percent of the distance to the moon. Closest approach occurs at approximately 19:04hrs (UT) on Dec. 6th....The asteroid is small, about 20 meters wide, and fast moving......"

[Orlando]

Space,Solar System,Science

[xrp]

small, about 20 meters wide

Still big enough to lay waste to a city.

[corkoman]

i will paint a large bullseye on my roof - I'll be famous when it hits. I'll become the most sought after stockbroker ever.

[JoeSixPack1]

oh noooo,, It's the mothership!!!

"Discovered only yesterday.." <--dropped out of warp.

"19:04hrs" <--- 19 !!!!!!!

"20 meters wide" <--- Scoutship?

[mhking]

Can we place an order for it to fall on that space rock in Mecca?

Just damn.

If you want on the new list, FReepmail me. This IS a high-volume PING list...

[demlosers]

Beam me up Scotty!

[toddst]

I'd bet many of these "small" pieces of rock approach at a shallow angle and are deflected by our atmosphere.

[commish]

Still big enough to lay waste to a city.

Yep, and 150,000KM is a whisker in space distance. This rock was very close to being the biggest planetary show since Tunguska.

This shows the danger we actually face, this asteroid was just discovered yesterday -- and yet it could have killed millions.

[Mike Darancette]

I'll become the most sought after stockbroker ever.

They will seek you but they will never find you.

[Darksheare]

Not my fault!
I swear, I was NOT out playing with any rocks of any kind anywhere in the known and unknown dimensions and or alternate realities which I will neither confirm nor deny the existence thereof!
/ joke.

Pretty close for a space rock to get before we find it.

[Orlando]

The Earth magnetic field is being hit with solar winds from
2 recent M-Class blast, and his can push asteroids closer to Earth according to scientists.


http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/national/article/0,1406,KNS_350_2477846,00.html


The asteroid 2003 XJ7 had already passed-us, but there might be others being push inward by Sun ?

Don't know ?!

[martin_fierro]

The Mothership can take you back to Planet Homo.

Known to us Terrans as Uranus.

<|:)~

[Pete-R-Bilt]

[Orangedog]

20 meters wide" <--- Scoutship?

Don't be rediculous. Scout ships are no more than 10 meters wide. This sounds more like a frigate.

[leadpenny]

I don't know about being deflected but they can go through the upper reaches of the atomsphere and keep on going. About 20 years ago I saw what experts said was probably a small asteroid. They estimated 2000 people saw it one evening over the mid-atlantic states. At first it looked like an airliner far off with it's landing lights on. It took about 20-30 seconds for it to leave the atomsphere after leaving a bright trail of yellow and green. I remember reading that it probably got no closer to the Earth than a 100- 150,000 feet.

[lepton]

i will paint a large bullseye on my roof - I'll be famous when it hits. I'll become the most sought after stockbroker ever.

Will you be home at the time?

[JoeSixPack1]

The Mothership can take you back to Planet Homo.

Known to us Terrans as Uranus.

<|:)~

Just when I think you're lunacy has hit rock bottom, you tell us about your homeworld, Planet Homo. ROFLMAO!!!

[Joe Hadenuf]

In astronomical terms, that is unbelievably close....

[Young Werther]

The Nov 2003 Scientific American has an article by By Russell L. Schweickart, Edward T. Lu, Piet Hut and Clark R. Chapman

Building and testing a spacecraft that could push an asteroid into a new orbit may be the best way to save Earth from catastrophic impacts.

Schweickart is an ex- astronaut and the article suggests that the cost of this type of insurance is well worth the cost considerig the alternative.

Indeed the Dec 2003 issue has an article entitled "The Day the Earth Burned". It chronicles the effect of the asteroid strike that wiped out the dinosaurs!

[NormsRevenge]

Damn, now I'm hungry.

Seriesly, that object is 10,000 miles or less and the size range mentioned could make a pretty big hole if it hit head on or leave one hell of a trench.

I wouldn't want to think about the possibilities if it hit a heavily populated area. Potentially , depending on velocity, it could be hugh.