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Earth Just Narrowly Missed Getting Hit by an Asteroid
Popular Mechanics ^ | 8/30/2016 | Avery Thompson

Posted on 08/30/2016 4:20:38 PM PDT by Beave Meister

On Saturday, astronomers discovered a new asteroid, just a few hours before it almost hit us.

The asteroid is called 2016 QA2, and it missed the Earth by less than a quarter of the distance to the moon. That puts it about three times as far away from Earth as our farthest satellites. And we never saw it coming.

So how did 2016 QA2 sneak up on us like that? For this particular asteroid, the answer seems to be that it has a very peculiar orbit. It's highly elliptical, which means it can usually be found hanging out by either Mars or Venus, but rarely ends up near Earth.

But another, more worrying reason is that there aren't a lot of people looking for potentially dangerous asteroids. While Congress has tasked NASA with finding 90 percent of asteroids 450 feet or larger by 2020, the agency is nowhere close to that goal. Funding for asteroid detection is very low, and most telescopes that could detect asteroids of this size won't come online for a few more years.

(Excerpt) Read more at popularmechanics.com ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Chit/Chat; Science; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: 2016qa2; asteroid; dang; earth; hailmary; nasa; nexttime; science; space; tryagain
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To: Beave Meister

The first destruction will come by water (The Flood), the next destruction will come by fire.


21 posted on 08/30/2016 5:13:27 PM PDT by Flavious_Maximus
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To: Beave Meister

If it had hit Detroit, it would have caused millions of dollars worth of improvements.


22 posted on 08/30/2016 5:19:19 PM PDT by GreenHornet
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To: Snickering Hound

It is an asteroid. It would have become a meteor if it entered the earths atmosphere. Then a meteorite if it impacted earth


23 posted on 08/30/2016 5:38:51 PM PDT by Delta 21 (Patiently waiting for the jack booted kick at my door.)
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To: RightGeek; rlmorel

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . .


24 posted on 08/30/2016 5:39:13 PM PDT by conservatism_IS_compassion ('Liberalism' is a conspiracy against the public by wire-service journalism.)
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To: Beave Meister

25 posted on 08/30/2016 6:01:49 PM PDT by Carl Vehse
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To: Carl Vehse

It just didn’t have enough support


26 posted on 08/30/2016 6:05:06 PM PDT by xp38
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To: FreedomStar3028

Some Bible scholars believe that most of the things in
Revelation HAVE already happened. WWI saw a huge area of
“No Man’s Land” where every tree and blade of grass was
devastated. - WWII saw the atomic bomb dropped and the
“huge mountain burning with fire” coming to pass. - WWIII
is prophesied to see a HUGE number of people killed in the
Battle of Armageddon (blood up to the horses’ bridles).
Some think that modern armaments, helicopters and such are
described in Revelation in the best way a person of that
era could describe them. - There are more things to come &
we can see them lining up every day. MARANATHA!


27 posted on 08/30/2016 6:14:45 PM PDT by Twinkie (John 3:16)
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To: Twinkie

In the words of Christ, “FEAR NOT!!”


28 posted on 08/30/2016 6:16:08 PM PDT by Twinkie (John 3:16)
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To: kingu
not something that would be part of Nasa’s near earth object detection program.

SPACEWEATHER.COM. Scroll down to NEAR EARTH ASTEROIDS. 2016QA2 is listed right there.

29 posted on 08/30/2016 6:17:28 PM PDT by UCANSEE2 (Lost my tagline on Flight MH370. Sorry for the inconvenience.)
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To: Beave Meister

Assterrhoids cause pain to Mother Gaia.


30 posted on 08/30/2016 6:18:56 PM PDT by tumblindice (America's founding fathers: all armed conservatives.)
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To: Flavious_Maximus
The first destruction will come by water (The Flood), the next destruction will come by fire.


31 posted on 08/30/2016 6:20:21 PM PDT by UCANSEE2 (Lost my tagline on Flight MH370. Sorry for the inconvenience.)
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To: Beave Meister
"The asteroid is called 2016 QA2, and it missed the Earth by less than a quarter of the distance to the moon. That puts it about three times as far away from Earth as our farthest satellites. And we never saw it coming."

When considering Celestial bodies and distances that is like a missile missing your home by flying in the space between the street in front of your house and the your front door.

32 posted on 08/30/2016 6:23:57 PM PDT by Mad Dawgg (If you're going to deny my 1st Amendment rights then I must proceed to the 2nd one...)
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To: Beave Meister

Luckily its only 130 feet across.


33 posted on 08/30/2016 6:25:45 PM PDT by <1/1,000,000th%
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To: FreedomStar3028

one third is also one out of three plants, or species, etc.

if the sun or moon turning to blood is referring to its appearance color, then the same could be true of water.


34 posted on 08/30/2016 6:28:01 PM PDT by xzins ( Free Republic Gives YOU a voice heard around the globe. Support the Freepathon!)
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To: Beave Meister

My luck, it’ll land on my roof.


35 posted on 08/30/2016 6:36:04 PM PDT by Jack Hammer
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To: GreenHornet
> If it had hit Detroit, it would have caused millions of dollars worth of improvements.

LOL

36 posted on 08/30/2016 7:02:55 PM PDT by jsanders2001
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To: RightGeek

3 new goals of NASA


37 posted on 08/30/2016 7:18:41 PM PDT by Taffini ( Mr. Pippen and Mr. Waffles do not approve and neither do I)
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To: <1/1,000,000th%

Double diameter of Chelyabinsk—eight times the mass—potentially eight times the energy of 500 kt.


38 posted on 08/30/2016 10:35:58 PM PDT by Ozark Tom (The binding rules only allow hints to be given freely in lieu of actual disclosures.)
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To: Beave Meister

Darn, a hit could have saved us from having to decide to vote for Hillary or Trump!


39 posted on 08/31/2016 6:47:11 AM PDT by GreyFriar (Spearhead - 3rd Armored Division 75-78 & 83-87)
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