Posted on 07/17/2019 12:26:09 PM PDT by BenLurkin
In general, when an asteroid is found to have even a tiny chance of impacting Earth, further observations and measurements are taken. These "astrometric" data refine our understanding of the asteroid's path, improving our understanding of the risk it poses and often excluding any chance of collision altogether.
However, the case of asteroid 2006 QV89 is peculiar. The object was discovered in August 2006 and then observed for only ten days. These observations suggested it had a 1-in-7000 chance of impacting Earth on 9 September 2019.
After the tenth day, the asteroid was unobservable and has not been seen since. Now, after more than a decade, we can predict its position with only very poor accuracy. As a result it is extremely difficult for astronomers to re-observe it, as no one knows exactly where to point a telescope.
Nevertheless, there is a way to obtain the information needed.
While we do not know 2006 QV89's trajectory exactly, we do know where it would appear in the sky if it were on a collision course with our planet. Therefore, we can simply observe this small area of the sky to check that the asteroid is indeed, hopefully, not there.
Teams obtained very "deep" images of a small area in the sky, where the asteroid would have been located if it were on track to impact Earth in September.
Nothing was seen.
(Excerpt) Read more at phys.org ...
Disappointed.
They painted it black.
with a ellipse like that so close to ours and the speed, if it had a lot more mass it could alter solar orbit time without any impact.
DAMMIT!
Maybe it wasn't an asteroid.......................
Thank God they told us! Otherwise it would’ve missed and we’d never have known! /sarc
Disappointed.
Well, if it is like last time, expect a 21 year period of heavy bombardment replete with continental-wide firestorms (not mere forest fires), air bursters (like over Russia a few years back) and ground impacts in the 5 MT range. Watch for the occasional 3Km rock impact to give scale to the plentiful 1Km impacts. You won’t need logs to keep warm, rather luck to keep from being incinerated or basted into atoms.
Did I mention that the focus of the last time was the North American continent? Hope you have a nice day then - I’ll be in my late 80s so a little excitement will be interesting.
Cheers
If an asteroid was going to wipe out all life on Earth tomorrow, would you really want to know today?
Was there any good news?
That gif was from one of the episodes where Kirk wears his gym workout shirt on the bridge...
Well, I saved a lot of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico.
Whew!
We’re still doomed I tell you. 8>)
Are you saying AOC is right but for the wrong reason?
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