An asteroid is coming, and scientists are excited. Fear not, Earth is safe

[backtoblue]

Source: CNN

(CNN) -- Look out for Asteroid 2012 DA14.

It is heading toward Earth at 17,450 miles per hour, according to NASA, and the tug of our planet's gravitational field will cause it to accelerate when it gets here.

But it's not going to strike us, when it passes by on February 15. NASA is adamant about this.

"Its orbit is very well-known," said Dr. Don Yeomans, NASA specialist for near-Earth objects. "We know exactly where it's going to go, and it cannot hit the Earth."

But it will give the Blue Planet the closest shave by any object its size in known history, Yeomans said. Gravity will cause it to fly a curved path, tugging it closer to Earth's surface than most GPS or television satellites.
















The Number: Hazardous asteroids
While the asteroid is moving at a good clip, space rockets have to accelerate to an even higher speed to escape Earth's gravity and make it into space. Though 2012 DA14 will be flying more slowly, its trajectory will keep it from falling to Earth.


Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/05/world/space-asteroid/index.html?hpt=hp_c3

[bluestateguy]

1. Fortunately that rock is too small to destroy the whole planet if it hit

Only one or two small countries, tops.

[daleo]

19. It' s not very big

I read that it was 48 meters. I wouldn't want to be near it, if it hit, but I don't think it would be worse than a small A-bomb.

[Psephos]

25. Actually, about 700 Hiroshima-sized bombs.

According the Asteroid Hunters, at least.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324196204578297823983416036.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

[Ter]

28. I could be wrong, but I think they mean the energy of 700 Hiroshima's

I'm pretty sure setting off 700 in a city would be a lot worse. They said the same thing about major volcano's.

[daleo]

34. So it would be like a good sized h-bomb

Hiroshima was about 15 Kilotons, so this one would come in at about 10 megatons. The largest bomb ever tested was about 60 megatons.

[Psephos]

36. Sounds about right. :) n/t

[UncleYoder]

30. " Mr. President,

I'm not saying we wouldn't get our hair mussed, but I do say no more than ten to twenty million killed, tops, uh, depending on the breaks."

General Turgidson

[Ter]

27. Two things

1) I think that article is wrong. I heard it is half the size of a football field, so it is not the closest shave to Earth in recent history. The one that hit Russia in 1908 was supposedly the size of a full football field.

2) That one caused enough damage to level a city (thankfully, it hit wilderness). This one can not destroy a country.

[Cirque du So-What]

2. Yeah, that's what they said about Melancholia

and look how THAT turned out!

[Mnemosyne]

11. Exactly. nt

[TwilightGardener]

3. Um...I hope they know what they're talking about in terms of trajectory.

[sdfernando]

4. Yeah lets hope that

they aren't the same ones that got meters and feet confused!

[backtoblue]

5. here's some food for thought

"Asteroids can be chock full of metals and other materials, which could be mined for use on earth or on space stations. NASA has discussed the possibility of capturing near-Earth asteroids and placing them into Earth's orbit to study them and extract their resources."


Personally, I would feel better about using research to PUSH AWAY near-Earth asteroids as opposed to PLACING them in our orbit.
Once we can detect and deflect, then lets think about the gold.

[TwilightGardener]

13. It'd be kind of cool to "lasso" them, but once they're in our orbit...

how do we get rid of them? Would be like space junk or something...

[kestrel91316]

15. Find a way to shoot them into the sun?

[backtoblue]

16. hmmm, lets say we catch it, make it our pet, and start mining on it

What if we mine too deep, it splits apart and then changes it's trajectory towards earth?

It'd kinda be like the guy who played with the bears and then they ate him. We'd be toast.

[TheMadMonk]

17. Larn some fizziks damn it.

Split in 2 or a thousand pieces, UNLESS something imparts significant momentum to some or all of those pieces, they will STAY IN THE SAME BLOODY ORBIT.

[FSogol]

29. Pet? You should use, "Space-based Companion."

[whistler162]

18. And what would PETA say?

PETA(People for the Ethical Treatment of Asteroids) that is.

[onlyadream]

6. If a small bit of space debris hit it

then.... well. Kaboom!

[longship]

7. Phil Plait's TED Talk on near Earth asteroids.

Here:

The Bad Astronomer is pretty damned good.

R&K

[backtoblue]

9. Pretty interesting fella

Thank you for sharing this!

[Delphinus]

14. That was enjoyable!

Thank you.

[Deep13]

8. I shot down a lot of asteroids in the 1980s. Pretty sure I could manage it still.

[backtoblue]

10. I totally defended the planet from space invaders back in my day...

[penndragon69]

12. Perhaps we will get lucky

and this thing will be caught by earths gravity
and settle into a stable orbit !

Then we could practice asteroid mining with minimal risk.

[red dog 1]

20. "The closest shave by any object it's size in known history"?

Especially in astronomical terms, 17,200 miles from Earth is pretty damn close....
.
.and it's the size of an office building?

.

[elleng]

21. Right.

http://www.russianmachineneverbreaks.com/2013/02/14/what-is-happening-in-chelyabinsk/

[red dog 1]

22. Excellent link, thanks.

[CreekDog]

23. you know, it may look far, but they FALL DOWN

[elleng]

24. Well, 'down' is a matter of perspective!

http://www.russianmachineneverbreaks.com/2013/02/14/what-is-happening-in-chelyabinsk/

[Adsos Letter]

26. "They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance."

Spoken by General John Sedgwick, immediately prior to being struck in the face and killed by a Confederate sniper at the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse, May 9, 1864.

http://www.civilwarhome.com/sedgwickdeath.htm



.

[jambo101]

31. If it were going to impact the Earth.

Do you really think the powers that be would announce to the world that a massive solar body is about to impact the Earth?

[Earth_First]

33. Absolutely not.

Shit, NASA refused to inform the Columbia crew of their impending death, why would I feel they would tell the general public of their own demise?

[Posteritatis]

35. They wouldn't be able to conceal it.

There are no "powers that be" which control every observatory in the world, and a few backyard astronomers with good equipment and some good knowledge could puzzle out a lot of it.