A Mysterious Object Is Hurtling Towards Earth, and Scientists Don't Know What It Is [But they have a real good idea fo what it is]

newsweek ^ | 11/30/2020 | Aristos Georgiou

[BenLurkin]

The object, dubbed 2020 SO by astronomers, will come within "just" 31,605 miles of our planet at 3:50 a.m. ET on December 1, according to NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS.)

This is an "extremely close," albeit safe, approach...

The object, which is estimated to measure between 15-33 feet across, was discovered by the Pan-STARRS survey based in Maui, Hawaii, on September 17, 2020. This find was confirmed two days later by the Minor Planet Center, which is responsible for the designation of minor bodies in the solar system.

Initial observations suggested that the object was an asteroid. But scientists at CNEOS soon began to suspect that 2020 SO was not a normal asteroid.

CNEOS director Paul Chodas subsequently suggested that 2020 SO may not be an asteroid at all, tentatively identifying it as the Centaur rocket booster from NASA's failed Surveyor 2 lunar mission, which launched on September 20, 1966.

He came to this conclusion after turning back the clock and running the object's orbit backwards using a computer model to work out its past trajectory through space.

[BenLurkin]

Atlas-Centaur rocket:

[BenLurkin]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surveyor_2

[BenLurkin]

A single-engine Centaur III being raised for mating to an Atlas V rocket

[V_TWIN]

“The object, which is estimated to measure between 15-33 feet across”

Would that even make it through the atmosphere in tact I wonder.

[dynachrome]

Pretty interesting. Will the ISS be able to confirm this?

[CardCarryingMember.VastRightWC]

VGER is returning home!

[SecondAmendment]

It’s all of Trump’s mail in votes from AZ, GA, PA, MI and WI ...

[Red Badger]

Let us know if it slows down....................

[Ikeon]

Isnt this how “Night of the living dead” started?

[Seruzawa]

THEY'RE COMING!!!

[cuban leaf]

I just watched the movie, Battleship. Wake me if this thing breaks into five pieces.

[BigEdLB]

We are looking for the house of the one called, “Biden”

[Intar]

[Red Badger]

[Intar]

I’ve done work at that facility and in that very hanger. Pretty cool place.

[gundog]

Probably aluminum. Gonna burn.

[DannyTN]

Possibilities:

• Centaur rocket booster
• Asteroid
• Rocket bearing small child from Krypton.
• Rocket bearing small blue skinned child named MegaMind.
• Rocket bearing space vampires
• Amish Space Vampires
• Ming the Merciless
• Death Pod the precursor to Death Star
• Buck Rogers
• Silver Surfer
• Humpback whales
• Dolphins and thanks for all the fish!

[BenLurkin]

A fuel tank might...

[Zeddicus]

Bug asteroid from Klendathu.

[Telepathic Intruder]

Killer Klowns? Body Snatchers? The possibilities are endless.