Posted on 01/04/2017 6:39:03 AM PST by Red Badger
The American space agency says that one object is a massive comet, but has so far been unable to identify the other
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.
However, NASA scientists are not sure whether it is a comet or an asteroid .
"2016 WF9 could have cometary origins," said Deputy Principal Investigator James "Gerbs" Bauer at NASA's JPL.
"This object illustrates that the boundary between asteroids and comets is a blurry one; perhaps over time this object has lost the majority of the volatiles that linger on or just under its surface."
While 2016 WF9 is dark like a comet, it appears to lack the characteristic dust and gas cloud that defines a comet.
On 25 February, 2017 WF9 will approach Earth's orbit at a distance of nearly 32 million miles (51 million kilometres) from our home planet.
NASA said that the object is "not a threat to Earth for the foreseeable future".
(Excerpt) Read more at mirror.co.uk ...
I was trying to get INB4 that guy... fast group around here today.
WTF does WF mean in labeling asteroids?
Tried the guru site of acronyms
http://www.abbreviations.com/WF
World Famous, White Female, Worst F,
need help here space geeks.
Wide Field?....................
My guess is We're F...
“Mysterious object HURTLING TOWARDS EARTH”
Oh noes!! The end is nigh! Where’s that bucket list??
“NASA said that the object is “not a threat to Earth for the foreseeable future”
Oh. Never mind. I’ll go back to laying on the couch now.
“NASA said that the object is “not a threat to Earth for the foreseeable future”
A clause in the deal we signed with the greys is that they will prevent any earth killing asteroids in return for unlimited access to cow utters.
They’re coming back for Obama
Cows mostly utter “moo”. Maybe the grays would find udders more palatable.
Sven Bronson, a South African astronomer, discovers that a pair of rogue planets, Bronson Alpha and Bronson Beta, will soon enter the solar system. In eight months, they will pass close enough to cause catastrophic damage. Sixteen months later, after swinging around the Sun, Bronson Alpha will return to pulverize the Earth and leave. It is hoped that Bronson Beta will remain and assume a stable orbit.
Scientists led by Cole Hendron work desperately to build an atomic rocket to transport enough people, animals and equipment to Bronson Beta in an attempt to save the human race. Various countries attempt the same thing. Nations including the United States evacuate their coastal regions in preparation for the Bronson bodies' first pass. As the planets approach, observers see through their telescopes what everyone agrees are cities on Bronson Beta. Tidal waves sweep inland at a height of 750 feet (230 m), volcanic eruptions and earthquakes take their deadly toll, and the weather runs wild for more than two days. As a token of things to come, Bronson Alpha grazes and destroys the Moon.
Three men take a floatplane to check out conditions across the United States and meet with the President. All three are wounded fighting off a mob at their last stop, but manage to return with a precious sample of extremely heat-resistant metal one of them had noticed, solving the last remaining engineering obstacle: No material had been found to make rocket tubes capable of withstanding the heat of the atomic exhaust for very long.
Five months before the end, desperate mobs attack the camp, killing over half of Hendron's people before they are defeated. With the rocket tube breakthrough, the survivors are able to build a second, larger ship that can carry everyone left alive (originally there was room for only 100 of the roughly thousand people Hendron had recruited). The two American ships take off, but lose contact with each other. Other ships are seen launching from Europe; the French ship's tubes melt, causing it to crash. The original American ship makes a successful landing, but it is unknown if anyone else made it. The survivors find that Beta is habitable.
Someone should inform the greys that cow utters are infrequent at best, and will come out on their own without having to remove the lips, anus, and all the skin on the face.
Typo. It’s really 2016 WTF9.
I read that book when I was a teenager......................
If I understood it correctly the mystery object goes from Jupiter’s orbit to Earth’s orbit. Its either a rambling asteroid or a probe from Jupiter to study us before the invasion.
Well that’s complicated.
I love my fellow FReepers!
At least the Greys aren’t after my Cheese and Moose.
It could be George Romney, visiting from his current home planet near Kolob.
Beebers on stun. :-)
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