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8 posts tagged asteroid
An asteroid is buzzing very close to Earth today.
Only newly discovered, asteroid 2012 KT42 is flying at the approximate same distance from Earth as the man-made satellites that circle the globe.
Somewhere between 3 and 10 meters wide, astronomers have not been able to completely predict the orbit of the rock.
However, if it does drop into our atmosphere, KT42 should not cause significant damage as it will likely break into many smaller pieces.
The asteroid ranks #6 on the top 20 list of closest approaches to our planet. Yikes.
If we survive 2012, humankind may not be so lucky in 2036.
Asteroid Apophis, which is as big as a football stadium, could prove to be the near-earth object of our nightmares.
Talk about an unlucky day: On Friday the 13th, April 2029, Apophis will fall below the altitude of our communication satellites.
When at that level, if the asteroid passes through a particular trajectory called the “keyhole,” the giant rock will be guaranteed to re-enter our orbit in 2036.
Apophis’ impact would be unforgiving. The most likely target would be the Pacific Ocean, and the waves the impact would create would devastate the entire Pacific rim.
Last week’s buzz about a giant meteor slamming into Earth in 2040 got us wondering: Are there more immediate threats?
Research reveals that the probability of threat from asteroid 2011 AG5 may be far less than the recent hype would indicate.
The asteroid may pose a threat, but for now it’s at the very lowest level of the Torino scale for measuring the hazards associated with asteroids: A level one.
The scale runs from 1-10, and at this time, only two asteroids rate higher than zero, and both of them are at level one.
However, assuming we’re still around, NASA will have an opportunity to get a better view and understanding of the risks in September, 2013.
Some Near-Earth Object experts believe the small but significant chance of 2011 AG5 striking Earth is enough to explore deflection tactics.
Better safe than sorry.
Could we be facing a real-life Armageddon or Deep Impact?
No Bruce Willis, but scientists have indeed launched a project called NEOshield to explore our options and defenses against a massive asteroid.
The international consortium involves researchers, universities and commercial partners from Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, the U.S. and Russia.
Priority number one? Mitigation measures.
NEOshield will explore the three most promising asteroid threat-reduction techniques: Kinetic impactors, gravity tractors, and the explosive blast-deflection method.
Glad we’re ahead of the curve on this one.
