[Southack]

Recently Discovered Near-Earth Asteroid Makes Record-breaking Approach to Earth

Asteroid 2004 FH passes about 43,000 km (26,500 miles) above the Earth's surface on March 18, 2004. Earth's gravity bends the trajectory of the asteroid by about 15 degrees. The asteroid crosses from one side of the Moon's orbit to the other in 31 hours.

Steven R. Chesley
Paul W. Chodas
NASA's Near Earth Object Program Office
Wednesday, March 17, 2004

A small near-Earth asteroid (NEA), discovered Monday night by the NASA-funded LINEAR asteroid survey, will make the closest approach to Earth ever recorded. There is no danger of a collision with the Earth during this encounter.

The object, designated 2004 FH, is roughly 30 meters (100 feet) in diameter and will pass just 43,000 km (26,500 miles, or about 3.4 Earth diameters) above the Earth's surface on March 18th at 5:08 PM EST (2:08 PM PST, 22:08 UTC). (Close approach details here).

On average, objects about the size of 2004 FH pass within this distance roughly once every two years, but most of these small objects pass by undetected. This particular close approach is unusual only in the sense that scientists know about it. The fact that an object as small as asteroid 2004 FH has been discovered now is mostly a matter of perseverance by the LINEAR team, who are funded by NASA to search for larger kilometer-sized NEAs, but also routinely detect much smaller objects.

Asteroid 2004 FH's point of closest approach with the Earth will be over the South Atlantic Ocean. Using a good pair of binoculars, the object will be bright enough to be seen during this close approach from areas of Europe, Asia and most of the Southern Hemisphere.

Scientists look forward to the flyby as it will provide them an unprecedented opportunity to study a small NEA asteroid up close.

[Izzy Dunne]

the closest approach to Earth ever recorded

Horse puckey.
The Barringer crater in Arizona has quite a record of an even closer approach...

[Geritol]

"On average, objects about the size of 2004 FH pass within this distance roughly once every two years"

Wow. 3 and a hair planetary diameters out. Every 2 years. At that rate I would expect one to hit us every 115 years or so.

[Orlando]

Thanks.

NASA found Asteroid 2004 FH on Monday night, and now they report it at @ 1:15 am,est Thursday, March 18th .

[Izzy Dunne]

The asteroid crosses from one side of the Moon's orbit to the other in 31 hours.

The moon is about 235,000 miles from Earth.
That makes its orbit about 470,000 miles from one side to the other.
470,000 miles in 31 hours is 15,161 miles per hour !!!

That's what I call MOVIN' !!!

[Prince Charles]

Doh! I need to read further into a thread before posting!

[TheyConvictedOglethorpe]

Scientists look forward to the flyby as it will provide them an unprecedented opportunity to study a small NEA asteroid up close.

If the scientists spent any time on Free Republic, they'd already know the NEA are a bunch of asteroids.

[hchutch]

Time to dust off Project ICARUS?

IIRC, it was done by some folks from MIT...

[jpsb]

The bend inducted by the earths gravity might make things interesting in a couple of years.

[newgeezer]

Without your little flag-waving map picture, some of us almost didn't notice that post was yours. Whew, that was close. ;O)

[capitan_refugio]

Ever wonder why the moon has so many craters? Some of them seemingly fresh craters? Good thing we have an atmosphere. And too bad we won't be able to see this in the US.