Skip to comments.
Monster Asteroid 'Pinged' As It Buzzes Earth
Discovery News ^
| Tue Nov 6, 2012 03:15 PM ET
| Ian O'Neill
Posted on 11/06/2012 3:57:55 PM PST by BenLurkin
Over three days, Goldstone "pinged" a 1.6-kilometer (1-mile) wide asteroid that approached our planet from Oct. 28 to Oct. 30. The huge space rock, called 2007 PA8, was 9 million kilometers (5.6 million miles) from Earth on Oct. 30. It made closest approach on Nov 5. (Monday), coming within 17 times the Earth-moon distance (4 million miles or 6.5 million kilometers).
Although the orbit of 2007 PA8 is well known and is not considered a threat to Earth in the near-term, it is classified as a "near-Earth asteroid." NASA took the opportunity to grab these invaluable radar observations of the asteroid as this is the closest the space rock will come to Earth for the next 200 years.
In these images -- a result of radio waves (emitted from the Goldstone antenna) reflected off the asteroid's surface -- the irregular shape of the object can be easily seen. Also, ridges and (possibly) craters are evident. The asteroid has a rotational period of 4 hours and these observations are of 2007 PA8's north pole.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.discovery.com ...
TOPICS: Science
KEYWORDS: catastrophism
1
posted on
11/06/2012 3:57:58 PM PST
by
BenLurkin
To: BenLurkin; SunkenCiv; KevinDavis
Kinda sad that this was the best image we could get right now
2
posted on
11/06/2012 4:00:14 PM PST
by
GeronL
(http://asspos.blogspot.com)
To: BenLurkin
My theory is that asteroids are made of potatoes.
3
posted on
11/06/2012 4:01:08 PM PST
by
MarineBrat
(Better dead than red!)
To: BenLurkin
Obama’s NASA? Launching turds into space?
4
posted on
11/06/2012 4:03:36 PM PST
by
JusPasenThru
(Nancy Pelosi.... Botoxevik.)
To: BenLurkin
14 light seconds out? That's fairly close.
/johnny
To: MarineBrat
" asteroids are made of potatoes."
Asteroid Space Potatoe Sticks... the taste is out of this world.
To: JRandomFreeper
If that hit Earth....it would be a rough time for anyone who survives.
7
posted on
11/06/2012 4:11:18 PM PST
by
BenLurkin
(This is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire; or both)
To: MarineBrat
Odd you should mention that, because that's what ILM used to represent asteroids in a couple of scenes of "The Empire strikes back".
CC
8
posted on
11/06/2012 4:12:57 PM PST
by
Celtic Conservative
(some people call me the space cowboy, some people call me the gangster of love ...)
To: BenLurkin
If one that size hit earth it likely trigger a global extinction event.
I prep, and my preps are good. But I didn't including any orbital spacecraft in my preps.
/johnny
To: BenLurkin; al baby
Okay, set it to “stune” and try again.
10
posted on
11/06/2012 4:16:44 PM PST
by
RichInOC
(Romney/Ryan 2012: Some Men Just Want To Watch The World Burn. For Everybody Else, There's Us.)
To: GeronL; BenLurkin; 75thOVI; agrace; aimhigh; Alice in Wonderland; AndrewC; aragorn; aristotleman; ..
Thanks GeronL for the ping, thanks BenLurkin for the topic.
11
posted on
11/06/2012 4:30:00 PM PST
by
SunkenCiv
(https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
To: BenLurkin
Anyone know a site where I could check to see if there was a meteorite that hit near me a few nights ago?
12
posted on
11/06/2012 4:36:54 PM PST
by
bgill
(Evil doers are in every corner of our government. Have we passed the point of no return?)
To: GeronL
Kinda sad that this was the best image we could get right nowI think it is a miracle we can see the SOB at all.
To: bigheadfred
14
posted on
11/06/2012 4:44:25 PM PST
by
GeronL
(http://asspos.blogspot.com)
To: BenLurkin
Survivors?
The north slope oil crew and the science expedition to the south pole?
15
posted on
11/06/2012 4:56:02 PM PST
by
El Laton Caliente
(NRA Life Member & www.Gunsnet.net Moderator)
To: JRandomFreeper
A self-suffient moonbase would be one answer. If people don't mind these kind of living quarters...
16
posted on
11/06/2012 5:59:35 PM PST
by
BenLurkin
(This is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire; or both)
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson