Warehouse-sized asteroid whipped by Earth and no one saw it coming

CNET ^ | Sept. 24, 2021 8:29 a.m. PT | Eric Mack

[BenLurkin]

2021 SG passed us safely on Sept. 16, but at a relatively close distance -- astronomically speaking -- of around 153,000 miles (246,000 km). If it had entered Earth's atmosphere, it likely would have caused destruction, especially if it hit near a populated area.

The Chelyabinsk meteor and asteroid 2021 SG point out a literal blind spot when it comes to watching for so-called near-Earth objects: the sun. As NASA solar system ambassador Eddie Irizarry and EarthSky editor-in-chief Deborah Byrd explain, both space rocks went undetected as they approached us because they came from the direction of the sun.

NASA plans to launch its NEO Surveyor spacecraft in 2026, which will be parked at a spot in space between Earth and the sun so it can detect the objects we can't see from here.

[desertsolitaire]

Did you hear the one about the dyslexic pimp? He ran a warehouse.

[Kartographer]

More importantly did it have a mask on? And did it have the ‘JAB’? Because it certainly was social distancing.

[Deplorable American1776]

Warehouse sized? It was just Amazon opening a new warehouse for space aliens, people on the ISS and space tourists. 🤓

[amnestynone]

Maybe one to take out New York City when they are having a big Dem fund raiser with Harris speaking. Possibly another chunk falls off and hits Philly and Pa turns red. Just fantasizing!

[zeugma]

# Are we talked 1,000 sq ft warehouse? 100,000 sq ft? Makes a difference.

Exactly. It is an absolutely meaningless description.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks BenLurkin. That was as close one. Even after two decades of worldwide organized looking for Earth-crossers, the likelihood is, zero warning.

The EarthSky page notes that it's four times larger than the 2013 Chelyabinsk impactor, which means, roughly speaking, four times in each of the three dimensions, so, approximately 64 times the mass.

The 42 to 94 meter estimated diameter of this new one compares with the circa 40 meter diameter of the bolide that created the Barringer Crater (Meteor Crater) in Arizona.

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[higgmeister]

Seeing anything and everything coming is great. What are they doing to actually stop or deflect ‘em? Have they stopped even one asteroid in the solar system from doing what it wants?

What are we doing to bailout if we get hit?

[BenLurkin]

Interesting!

[353FMG]

Isn’t a warehouse expressed in cubic feet?

[Pollard]

nope.
sq ft, ceiling/rafter height and door heights

[SunkenCiv]

Chelyabinsk keyword, sorted:

• On International Asteroid Day, here's what to know about the threat to Earth [06/30/2019]
• 173 Kiloton Explosion Over Bering Sea Was Asteroid Breaking Up [03/19/2019]
• Origins of Russian fireball found: Scientists say... [similar orbit to asteroid 2014 UR116] [04/09/2015]
• Russian Meteor's Origin Remains Mysterious 2 Years Later [02/17/2015]
• Mysterious blast lights up night sky in Russia [11/19/2014]
• Explosive Flash In Russia Blamed On Meteor [11/19/2014]
• Chelyabinsk meteor #2? Massive flash over Russia’s Urals stuns locals & scientists [11/18/2014]
• Alleged Meteor Caught on Russian Dash Cam (Again) [09/30/2014]
• The Nicaragua Crater: The Result of a Meteorite Impact or Not? [09/08/2014]
• Scientists Have Underestimated The Likelihood Of City-Killing Asteroids Hitting Earth [04/28/2014]
• How We're Finding Asteroids Before They Find Us [04/16/2014]
• Another Chelyabinsk meteor strike 'SEVEN times as likely' as feared [11/07/2013]
• 10 Insights from the February Meteorite at Chelyabinsk, Russia [11/06/2013]
• Divers Recover Presumed Superchunk Of Russian Meteor From Lake Chebarkul [10/16/2013]
• Big Chelyabink Meteorite Fragment to Be Lifted Soon [09/25/2013]
• Chelyabinsk meteorite had previous collision or near miss [08/26/2013]
• Russian meteor created new 'dust layer' in stratosphere, researchers say [08/19/2013]
• Russian Meteorite Bits Will Be Used In Some 2014 Olympic Medals [07/25/2013]
• Incoming! Then Outgoing! Waves Generated by Russian Meteor Recorded Crossing the U.S. [03/10/2013]
• Astronomy Picture of the Day -- Miass River Sunrise [03/01/2013]
• Colombian boffins reconstruct flight path of Russian meteor ( Video Illustration) [02/27/2013]
• Where exactly did the Russian meteor come from? [02/26/2013]
• Astronomy Picture of the Day -- Chelyabinsk Meteor Flash [02/23/2013]
• Astronomy Picture of the Day -- The Great Russian Meteor of 2013 [02/17/2013]
• Astronomy Picture of the Day -- Asteroid 2012 DA14 Passes the Earth [02/17/2013]
• Russian meteorite blast explained: Fireball explosion, not meteor shower (maps) [02/16/2013]
• Russian 'meteor' was actually a tiny asteroid, NASA says (45 feet across, 10,000 tons & 40,000 mph) [02/15/2013]
• Russian Meteor Seen From CCTV. Blows out Windows and Doors. [02/15/2013]
• Stay away from meteors, government tells Russians (Video) [02/15/2013]
• A problem that is bigger than global warming ( How about hits from Global Objects!) [02/15/2013]
• Videos: Meteor lights up Russian skies; Update: Injuries now up over 900 [02/15/2013]
• Russian parliament member says meteor was actually a U.S. weapons test [02/15/2013]
• Russian meteor blast injures at least 1,000 people (3000 damaged buildings)-VIDEO- [02/15/2013]
• Russian meteorites not caused by asteroid flyby, NASA says [02/15/2013]
• Russian MP Blames Meteor Shower On US Secret Arms Test [02/15/2013]
• Video of Meteorite Explosion over Russia - Collected Videos [02/15/2013]
• Urals meteorite allegedly intercepted by Russia’s air defense (BS Alert) [02/15/2013]
• 500 Hurt as Meteor Plummets to Earth in Russia [02/15/2013]
• 500+ Injured, Major Havoc Wreaked as Russians Reportedly Intercept Meteorite with Missiles [02/15/2013]
• Meteorite crash in Russia: UFO fears spark panic in the Urals (VIDEO, PHOTOS) [02/15/2013]
• A Russian emergencies official says at least 1 meteorite has fallen in Chelyabinsk region [02/14/2013]
• Anomalous Zones Of Russia: Arkaim Town [04/12/2007]
• Chance of asteroids hitting earth very slim - Russian astronomers [05/08/2006]
• Soldiers of the Chelyabinsk Chernobyl [09/28/2004]
• Very Large Meteorite Fell Down in Siberia [06/13/2004]
• Soldiers of the Chelyabinsk Chernobyl [04/15/2004]
• Russian meteorite an 'event of the century' [10/14/2002]
• Cash Plea For Russian Meteor Chasers (Impact Crater) [10/08/2002]

[ealgeone]

Just wait until Nibiru hits.....

Maybe we need to use the method the believers in Nibiru use to detect the incoming asteroid.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks!

[SunkenCiv]

[wgmalabama]

My guess is we are getting ready to get swarms of them. Some small (air bursts) larger ones will hit the ground/sea. I always figured history was full of multiple strikes over relatively short periods of time. It’s why we global resets in archeological records.

[Paal Gulli]

Exactly what dimensions is “warehouse sized?”

[ready2brd]

Off a bit. Volume increases by the cube of the radius, so this would be 64 times that.

Definitely not be fun to be within a 500 mile radius of impact.

[null and void]

My guess is we are getting ready to get swarms of them. Some small (air bursts) larger ones will hit the ground/sea. I always figured history was full of multiple strikes over relatively short periods of time. It’s why we global resets in archeological records.

Yep. The cycle seems to be about every 12,000 years, the last was about 12,000 years ago.

[null and void]

Yes, I made a bonehead mistake. Good catch.

[gleeaikin]

I was outside my country cabin in Hardy Co., West Virginia on Friday 9/17/21 when there was an extremely loud KABOOOOM. It sounded like someone had made a large dynomite explosion the other side of the mountain. I thought maybe road building rock cut demolition. The next day there was a community meeting, and everyone who was there Friday was commenting on the loud explosion. Then someone reported that apparently a small meteor had targeted Hardy Co., but they didn’t know if any pieces had landed. So the subject asteroid passed us the day before the one I heard. I wonder if it was part of a swarm.

I thing the Barringer Crater in AZ is a half mile across and hit 50,000 ya.