Nbadan
02-15-2013, 12:38 AM
In Chelyabinsk today...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7c-0iwBEswE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Np_mpGYSBSA
On Friday, Feb. 15, the Earth is going to get a very close shave by an asteroid*. Called 2012 DA14, this 50 meter (160 foot) rock will pass just over 27,000 kilometers (17,000 miles) from the Earth’s surface. This is closer than our geosynchronous satellites, so this really is a close pass!
But, to be very clear: This asteroid poses no threat to us right now, nor in the foreseeable future. Friday’s miss is just that: a miss. And, in fact, this is a good thing, since any time an asteroid gets close (but misses), we learn a lot, including how to find them, how to track them, and even how to talk about them to the public.
The asteroid will fly within 17,000 miles of the Earth's surface, closer than some 400 satellites in geosynchronous orbit, which are often used for satellite television, communications, and weather forecasting, and typically orbit about 22,000 miles up. The asteroid will not come as close as low-Earth orbit, where the International Space Station and many Earth-observation satellites orbit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7c-0iwBEswE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Np_mpGYSBSA
On Friday, Feb. 15, the Earth is going to get a very close shave by an asteroid*. Called 2012 DA14, this 50 meter (160 foot) rock will pass just over 27,000 kilometers (17,000 miles) from the Earth’s surface. This is closer than our geosynchronous satellites, so this really is a close pass!
But, to be very clear: This asteroid poses no threat to us right now, nor in the foreseeable future. Friday’s miss is just that: a miss. And, in fact, this is a good thing, since any time an asteroid gets close (but misses), we learn a lot, including how to find them, how to track them, and even how to talk about them to the public.
The asteroid will fly within 17,000 miles of the Earth's surface, closer than some 400 satellites in geosynchronous orbit, which are often used for satellite television, communications, and weather forecasting, and typically orbit about 22,000 miles up. The asteroid will not come as close as low-Earth orbit, where the International Space Station and many Earth-observation satellites orbit.