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NASA says mysterious object hurtling towards Earth could be an asteroid or a comet
mirror.co.uk ^ | 11:20, 4 JAN 2017 | Libby Plummer

Posted on 01/04/2017 2:50:43 PM PST by BenLurkin

NASA recently spotted two massive space objects hurtling towards Earth.

While the American space agency has pinpointed one as a comet, the other has left it slightly more baffled.

The comet is set to fly close to Earth this week, but the mystery object isn't expected to make an appearance until February.

The object, dubbed "2016 WF9", was detected by NASA's asteroid- and comet-hunting NEOWISE project on 27 November 2016.

It is roughly 0.3 to 0.6 miles (0.5 to 1 kilometres) across and is in an orbit that takes it on a scenic tour of our solar system.

At its farthest distance from the sun, it approaches Jupiter's orbit.

Over the course of 4.9 Earth-years, it travels inward, passing under the main asteroid belt and the orbit of Mars until it swings just inside Earth's own orbit.

After that, it heads back toward the outer solar system.

(Excerpt) Read more at mirror.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Astronomy
KEYWORDS: 2016wf9; spacemystery; spaceobject
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To: Larry Lucido

41 posted on 01/04/2017 5:00:21 PM PST by Paladin2 (No spellcheck. It's too much work to undo the auto wrong word substitution on mobile devices.)
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To: metmom

Wormwood in Russian is Chernobyl


42 posted on 01/04/2017 5:01:35 PM PST by Clay+Iron_Times (The feet of the statue and the latter days of the church age)
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To: nvskibum

That is awesome!


43 posted on 01/04/2017 5:07:45 PM PST by CtBigPat (Free Republic - The grown-ups table of the internet.)
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To: BenLurkin

It is an UFO...it’s an object, unidentified and it is flying, Right?


44 posted on 01/04/2017 5:11:02 PM PST by ConservaTeen (Islam is Not the Religion of Peace, but The religion of Pedophilia...)
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To: dp0622

http://neowise.ipac.caltech.edu/

Go down to “Current Status” in the Middle of the page. That’s as of Mid Dec 2016.


45 posted on 01/04/2017 5:11:41 PM PST by Pagey (HELL is The 2nd Term of a POTUS who is a MALICIOUS DIVIDER of humans)
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To: Paladin2
We'll grab dinner first. Table will be ready in five, ten minutes.


46 posted on 01/04/2017 5:30:05 PM PST by Larry Lucido
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To: BenLurkin

Rama #1?


47 posted on 01/04/2017 7:40:07 PM PST by Some Fat Guy in L.A. (Still bitterly clinging to rational thought despite it's unfashionability)
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To: dp0622

No, I read an article by a famous astronomer who said exactly that, he fears we may not see a big one until it enters the atmosphere.


48 posted on 01/05/2017 4:59:39 PM PST by Williams (Stop tolerating the intolerant.)
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To: dp0622

Hey dp. Try to find a book called lucifers hammer from the mid 70s. Earth passes through the tail of a comet. Then the fun begins with the breakdown of civilization...


49 posted on 01/05/2017 5:21:02 PM PST by bankwalker (groupthink is dangerous ...)
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To: Williams

Wow. That’s pretty terrifying.


50 posted on 01/05/2017 6:10:49 PM PST by dp0622 (The only thing an upper crust conservative hates more than a liberal is a middle class conservative)
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To: bankwalker

Thanks man. Sounds like my kind of book :)


51 posted on 01/05/2017 6:11:15 PM PST by dp0622 (The only thing an upper crust conservative hates more than a liberal is a middle class conservative)
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To: BenLurkin

Revelation 8


52 posted on 01/05/2017 6:21:33 PM PST by right way right (May we remain sober over mere men, for God really is our one and only true hope.)
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To: dp0622
I recall reading about a large object that flew closer to the earth than the moon. It was large enough to cause a lot of damage. NASA didn't see it until AFTER it had passed by! The sun was in their eyes - literally!

So - the answer is - it could happen today. (Along with a massive earthquake, volcano, tsunami, fire, etc.)

53 posted on 01/05/2017 6:25:31 PM PST by 21twelve (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2185147/posts It is happening again.)
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To: 21twelve; dp0622

https://watchers.news/2016/08/29/asteroid-2016-qa2-makes-exceptionally-close-earth-flyby-hours-after-discovery/

The above link is to one object among a host of many. Up to 52 meters in size, with .2 Lunar Orbits of the earth, passed by earth hours after it was discovered.


54 posted on 01/05/2017 6:32:33 PM PST by 21twelve (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2185147/posts It is happening again.)
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To: 21twelve; dp0622

https://watchers.news/2016/03/18/asteroid-2016-ef195-detected-4-days-after-very-close-fly-by/

This may have been the one I was thinking of. 50 meters in size, .08 lunar distance(!!!), detected four days AFTER it passed by. That one that skimmed over Russia a few years ago was estimated at 25 meters in size.


55 posted on 01/05/2017 6:35:51 PM PST by 21twelve (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2185147/posts It is happening again.)
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To: 21twelve; dp0622

Trying to find out about damage from a 50 meter object:

“The smaller an asteroid, the more numerous they are, is the general rule of thumb for our solar system. According to the best estimates, objects 3 meters across impact the Earth and deliver about 2 kilotons of TNT of energy. Objects 100 meters across collide with the Earth every few hundred years and deliver about 2 Megatons of TNT equivalent. A 1 kilometer-sized object impacts the Earth every million years or so and delivers about 100,000 Megatons of TNT.

Now, the good news is that the Earth’s atmosphere shields us from objects that are initially below about 100 meters in size because they break-up and evaporate before reaching the ground. Still, the famous Tunguska Event in 1908 was a 50 meter stony meteor which evaporated about 20 kilometers above the Earth, and still flattened trees in a 30 kilometer area. Its yield was about 10 Megatons of TNT, and the frequency tables predict that such strikes should happen every 100 years or so. The next one could happen any day between now and 200 years from now!”


56 posted on 01/05/2017 6:43:34 PM PST by 21twelve (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2185147/posts It is happening again.)
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To: 21twelve

I’m just now linking to all of your links.

Thanks for all the info!!

Hours AFTER. Great.

I thought we could see ####ing 10 billion light years out or something?

I dont know what the #### I’m talking about :), but I thought we had Incredible telescopes.

I dont understand how we track meteors/asteroids or what the difference is.


57 posted on 01/05/2017 7:37:30 PM PST by dp0622 (The only thing an upper crust conservative hates more than a liberal is a middle class conservative)
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To: dp0622

I guess the telescopes that can see millions of light years away are for the big, “stationary” things. Harder to see the “little” things. I mean, even to think that we can detect an object half a football field in size at hundreds of thousands of miles is pretty incredible. Not like we can do much about it.

Sort of like we can see the big semi down the road in front of us. Can’t see the pebble that hits our windshield. And even if the semi lost a rock off the back end - how many of us keep enough distance to be able to stop in time even if we did see it?


58 posted on 01/05/2017 7:57:40 PM PST by 21twelve (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2185147/posts It is happening again.)
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To: 21twelve

Man you’re sharp.

I HATE that so many people are smarter than me on this board :)

But your example should be in school text books.

I dont know what I was thinking. Those stars we see (though likely dead now) are YUGE.

I’m thinking we could see something smaller than a football field 100s of thousands of miles away :)


59 posted on 01/05/2017 9:38:42 PM PST by dp0622 (The only thing an upper crust conservative hates more than a liberal is a middle class conservative)
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To: dp0622

“I’m thinking we could see something smaller than a football field 100s of thousands of miles away :)”

I have no idea what the resolution on that stuff is. I’m sure somebody knows. Of course if they told us, then they’d have to kill us!


60 posted on 01/05/2017 11:44:41 PM PST by 21twelve (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2185147/posts It is happening again.)
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