Two *Asteroids* making a close approach Sept 8th, 2010

British Astronomical Association ^ | Sept 6th, 2010

[Jed Eckert]

Exactly.... When the one that hits comes, we won’t have a clue. =========================================================

Maybe. However, we have enough amateur astronomers with serious equipment who would probably spot it and spill the beans. If you start to see these guys suddenly disappearing or dying under suspicious circumstances look out. Also, watch the movements of the politicians.

[Captain Beyond]

Catastrophism ping

[Abin Sur]

“Tonight from the UK (Sep 6/7) this object will be 17th magnitude but by tomorrow (Sep 7/8) it will be brightening rapidly from 16th to 15th magnitude and be accelerating from an apparent speed of about 30 “/min to 50 “/min. “

You might have an easier time seeing Pluto with a 3-inch refractor in Times Square!

My 6-inch reflector can barely make out Pluto (13th magnitude) on a good night. 15th magnitude? No way, no how.

[TribalPrincess2U]

I must say that looks just like Obama.

[TribalPrincess2U]

We won’t but the squirrels in charge will be just fine.

[Revolting cat!]

Russia, China and Canada cover most of the earth’s surface. We’re safe living in the Good Ole U.S.

[TwoLegsGood]

for later

[Captain Beyond]

NY Times headline “Asteroids to Collide with Earth” "It's the End of the World" “Women and Minorities Hit Hardest"

[Mr. K]

At 0.21 lunar distance won’t that significantly affect its trajectory???

[Mr. K]

I remember one credible study that said we get hit once every hundrd years or so by a Tanguska size object.

The dark ages were caused by one such collision, weren’t they?

The dark ages were a weird weird time...

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Captain Beyond. I'm going to pick up an extra umbrella.

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[SunkenCiv]

The Tunguska impact was in 1908; since that time there have been detectable impacts in Greenland, a couple in South America, some people and livestock have been killed by fairly small meteorites, the supposed South African nuke test turned out to have been an impact in the Indian Ocean, and for that matter, this:

Rain of Iron and Ice
by John S. Lewis

On November 27,1919, a meteorite fell into Lake Michigan near the Michigan shore. "Residents of Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, South Bend, Grand Haven, and other Western Michigan cities fled from their homes in panic, fearing an earthquake. Houses were shaken, the country was illuminated as by a bright sun's rays, so all-enveloping it was impossible to tell from which direction the flare came, the earth trembled for half a moment and then came a deep prolonged rumbling as of a terrific explosion." (p 159)

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks TaraP! That one is a tiny little thing, 8 meters across, size of a house...

[rdl6989]

the supposed South African nuke test turned out to have been an impact in the Indian Ocean,

But I thought some Australian sheep died from fallout. I read it on the internet so it must be true, LOL.

[SaxxonWoods]

Hmmmmm. Wonder if the area has been studied/excavated etc. There should be lots of little meteorites present.

[SaxxonWoods]

Hmmmmm. Wonder if the area has been studied/excavated etc. There should be lots of little meteorites present.

[BenLurkin]

Can we change that to DC and Damascus?

[HP8753]

The one that left the crater in Arizona is 1184m wide

Latest numbers i read say around 50 meters wide.

[dusttoyou]

one hits Mecca .... is that crowd still hanging out there?
That would show em arse is blackest. Then again they’d read the SIGN wrong.

[dayglored]

>> The one that left the crater in Arizona is 1184m wide

> Latest numbers i read say around 50 meters wide.

Correct -- the 1184m figure is the width of the crater, not of the meteoroid that caused it. That's not to minimize the object -- after all, it weighed around 300,000 tons! (Almost all of which vaporized either during descent or on impact.)