Posted on 05/03/2014 5:11:16 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Don't worry, NASA's known about it for ages. Like, four whole days.
So here’s a fun fact: while you were sleeping last night, you had a near-death experience. Yes, you – and everyone else on this lovely planet. In the wee hours of the morning, a pretty sizeable asteroid soared by the Earth, just missing it. But we’re okay. For now.
At 4:13am EDT, asteroid 2014 HL129 essentially side-swiped the Earth, coming within 186,000 miles of our planet. For reference, the moon is 238,855 miles away. Which means the asteroid was much, much closer to us than the moon will ever be. And the moon is pretty damn close. Like, we-sent-people-there-in-the-’60s close.
Oh, and why is it called “2014 HL129?” It’s because we pretty much just discovered that this asteroid exists. Yep, a rock that NASA’s Asteroid Watch says was about 25 feet wide (approximately the size of a bus) and came within space-moments of smacking our planet around was completely unknown until April 28th. Four days ago. But no big deal guys, no need to panic. We’re fine.
Just know planet-wide destruction could be under a week away and we could have no idea. Neato.
(Excerpt) Read more at geekosystem.com ...
Hell....Washington, DC is only 2200 miles from where I live — and there’s a sh*tpot full more destruction emanating from that sh*thole than any dang bus-sized space rock.
Uh, a bus-sized asteroid ain't gonna destroy the Earth. But don't let the internet moron community stop preaching the doom and gloom.
No but I recall a prominent astronomer say the real thing could slip into our atmosphere undetected with little or no advance warning.
I boarded up the windows on that side of the house, so I was ready.
Yeah, I enjoyed the hyperbole. A 25 foot wide asteroid would *probably* fragment into smaller pieces after burning off a bit, due to the stress caused by its rapid passage through the atmosphere. A similarly-sized bolide apparently did just that — breaking up into small pieces before impact — back in 1972. There was apparently an audible roar as it came in.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwWc_eCkSyw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBu-yUzWXqg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIv7wL9nWMQ
Gonna get that climate to change, one way or another
Quite right — the point he was making was, an object capable of destroying civilization (iow, something on the order of a mile across) might be discovered just before impact.
Good call.
Damage control in these situations then entails redirecting the bolide to collide with DC...
One last year in Urals was twice that size, about 55 feet
Exploded in atmosphere with force of 500 kt.
Thousands of windows blown out, some building collapsed
Thousands of casualtiesa - mostly cuts from glass.
Pbbt. Not even one-eighth the size of the one that hit Russia last year.
“Just know planet-wide destruction could be under a week away and we could have no idea. Neato.”
Not from a 25 foot diameter will there be planet wide destruction. If it made it through the atmosphere and landed on your house you and the neighbors would have a very bad day.
Are more of these things showing up or do we spot them better? Inside the orbit of the moon seems one hell of a close shave!
Haven’t a few space stations like Skylab and MIR decayed enough in their orbits to come crashing into earth?
And the Shuttle is much larger that a bus.
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