Seems like we had a near fender-bender in outer space Monday. A rather substantial chunk of space rock (300 meters) came within 819,000 km (520,000 miles) of Earth, a little less than double the distance from us to the Moon. In space terms, it's like barely missing getting T-rammed at an intersection. Apparently the asteroid would have been big enough to take out a country the size of France or Spain.

Rather scary, to think about...that was a close one! [img]graemlins/uhoh1.gif[/img]

[ 01-09-2002: Message edited by: Sazerac ]</p>

Now where did I put that hardhat?

Funny, I didn't even hear it mentioned on the news. Usually when something like that is coming up, the commercial interests who run our news programs figure "Panic + Science = Sponsors," and they get some authority figure to give a two-minute soundbite. But then, I don't watch television, and all my news comes from newspapers and shortwave/internet radio. :(

Yikes! I'm with Epona.. hand out the hardhats! LOL
I missed that one, too Sazzie!

Cloudy [img]graemlins/stormy.gif[/img]

Here's the article:

<font color="#cccccc">Jan. 8 — An asteroid large enough to wipe out France hurtled past Earth at a distance of a half-million miles just days after scientists spotted it. The asteroid, dubbed 2001 YB5, came within 520,000 miles of Earth on Monday, approximately twice the distance of the moon.

DOZENS OF ASTEROIDS pass close by the Earth each year, though 2001 YB5 was closer than most. On Friday, for instance, an asteroid known as 2001 UU92 will pass within 11 million miles of Earth.

Asteroid 2001 YB5, estimated to be 1,000 feet (300 meters) across, was traveling about 68,000 mph (108,000 kilometers per hour) relative to the Earth when it zipped past.

“It’s a fairly substantial rock. If it had hit us at that sort of speed, you would be taking out a medium-size country, France, I suppose, or Texas, or something of that order,” said Jay Tate, director of the Spaceguard Center in Wales.

Astronomers with the NASA’s Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking program discovered 2001 YB5 on Dec. 26. Soon after, astronomers calculated the asteroid’s orbit and determined there was no danger it would strike Earth.

Had it been on a collision course, it would have created “one of the worst disasters in human history,” said Steven Pravdo, the Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

“What could we have done about it? The answer is, not much,” Pravdo said.

As astronomers discover more and more near-Earth asteroids, they seek a standardized way of alerting the public to the hazard they might pose. Among programs already in place is the Spaceguard Center’s Comet and Asteroid Information Network, which began work Jan. 1.

“Space Shorts” includes information from The Associated Press and the Defense Department.
</font>

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>
Apparently the asteroid would have been big enough to take out a country the size of France or Spain.
<hr></blockquote>

Now, what would you do without me, eh ? :D

[ 01-09-2002: Message edited by: Moiraine ]</p>

Just a thought that popped into my mind...
If a few days beforehand scientists find out a huge asteroid will wipe out *any* life on Earth, even if people hide underground, would you even want to know it? Would you want to spend the last few days of your life in fear, regret, goodbye's, panic, useless escape plans, chaos, riots, mourning etc., while if no one would have told you about it, it would have been over before you even realized it had happened?

[ 01-09-2002: Message edited by: Grojlach ]</p>

Hey Sazerac,

This is just a quibble...and I apologize up front for it...but I simply can't resist.

If the asteroid had nearly missed Earth, then it would have hit us.

So, it either nearly hit the Earth or narrowly missed us.


I know, I know...there is an "intelligent donkey" in every group. I guess it was just my turn this time. Sorry.

[ 01-09-2002: Message edited by: Cerek the Barbaric ]</p>

Cerek beat me to the punch [img]smile.gif[/img] if it nearly missed us, then it did in fact hit us, too bad though..it would have been a definite improvement if it had hit france ;)

Just kidding......Im sure there are some people who actually like the French and France, Viva Le' France ;)

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by MagiK:
Cerek beat me to the punch [img]smile.gif[/img] if it nearly missed us, then it did in fact hit us, too bad though..it would have been a definite improvement if it had hit france ;)

Just kidding......Im sure there are some people who actually like the French and France, Viva Le' France ;) <hr></blockquote>

Moiraine, would you like me to hold MagiK down while you pummel him?