Hefty Asteroid to Sweep Near Earth. (Almost a half mile wide. Can be Seen w/Binoculars)

Sky and Telescope ^ | Roger W. Sinnott

[Joe Hadenuf]

Next month a newly discovered asteroid will pass close enough to Earth to be easily spotted in small telescopes and even binoculars.

According to calculations by Gareth V. Williams, associate director of the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the asteroid's August 18th flyby should bring it to within 530,000 kilometers (330,000 miles) of Earth, just outside the Moon's orbital distance.

Astronomers first detected this object, designated 2002 NY40, on July 14th with the 1-meter LINEAR telescope in New Mexico. Thus it was picked up a full month before brushing by Earth, unlike asteroid 2002 MN, whose pass well inside the Moon's orbit was not realized until several days after the fact. The best current estimates suggest that this new interloper is about 500 meters (0.3 mile) across — significantly larger than 2002 MN.

Still quite faint at magnitude 18, 2002 NY40 is making a very tight loop around the star Beta Aquarii. During the next few weeks it will brighten tremendously and yet remain almost motionless in the sky — the eerie signature of an asteroid hurtling right toward Earth!

On the night of Saturday, August 17th, 2002 NY40 should reach magnitude 9.3 when well placed for viewing from North America. At that time its angular velocity will exceed 4 arcminutes per minute, a motion easily perceptible in small telescopes. Sky & Telescope plans to issue detailed observing instructions, through AstroAlerts and SkyandTelescope.com, in the days leading up to this rare event.

A mere 24 hours after it goes by, the asteroid plunges hopelessly beyond reach of Earth-based telescopes as it heads closer to the Sun. (We will then be viewing its unilluminated side, which explains why it becomes so faint, so fast.)

While there is no danger of 2002 NY40 striking Earth during this flyby, a future impact has not been ruled out. Both NEODyS, operated by the University of Pisa, and NASA's Near-Earth Object Program have identified a number of very close encounters in the years to come. These occur either around August 18th as the asteroid heads in toward the Sun, or near February 14th when on its way out. Both agencies are focusing on a flyby just 20 years from now (on August 18, 2022), when there appears to be a 1-in-500,000 chance of an impact — extremely unlikely, but worrisome just the same.

Meanwhile, professional astronomers are gearing up to make the most of this encounter. "2002 NY40 is a potentially very good radar target," notes Michael Nolan (Cornell University). He urges advanced amateurs to obtain detailed photometry of the asteroid on the nights leading up to the flyby. A good light curve, revealing the object's rotation rate, would help in selecting the radar instrumentation to be used with the 1,000-foot dish at Arecibo, Puerto Rico.

[Joe Hadenuf]

I plan on going to the 7000 foot level of our local mountains and will attempt to photograph it with a 10" computerized Schmidt Cassegrain scope. Hopefully I will get the coordinance and just enter it in to the on board database and presto, it will be centered in the field of view.

And you are correct, even in the 10" it will probably only appear as a star like object. I would still like to photograph it and possible enlarge it and play with it in photoshop. I think the biggest thrill would be, once locking on to it, would be actually tracking it for a short time. That would confirm, it's the real thing.

Maybe someday, we will get a closer look at one. I would settle for one missing our atmosphere by about 1000 miles, and say, two or three kilometers in diameter.

That would get more than a few people's attention.

I have question, why do we no longer see large asteroids or meteors impacts on the lunar surface? Was that something that was more active millions of years ago near the beginning of the universe?

What I would give to see a 1 mile diameter object strike the lunar surface. I am sure that would be an unaided eye event!

[RightWhale]

There is that old reported event where a couple of monks in England saw a bright flash along the limb of the moon about 500 years ago. Maybe every 500 years for a decent sized asteroid impact on earth or the moon is all we get. it sure would be interesting to see, though.

[RightWhale]

photograph it and possible enlarge it

Maybe it will move fast enough to make a movie of some kind. Asteroid 2002 NY40 passing through a starfield.

[floriduh voter]

I'll be on sosha scurity when the askeroid gets here. I'll probably be on so many medicare drugs I won't feel a thing. I think seniors are over-medicated.

Until then, I guess I'll have to listen to Art Bell and get out my night vision goggles.

[floriduh voter]

So, I need to stand in the parking lot at the conference to watch the sky. Just like at home. (neck strain). JimRob can do anything. LOL

[Joe Hadenuf]

So how can the lunar surface, that's been hit so many times, that it looks like a major nuclear war occurred there, yet we never see any major impact events, or evidence of a recent impact events?

[strela]

The timing was great, wasn't it? (Of course I'll probably be inside losing my a** at the baccarat tables when the thing passes by) ;)

[RightWhale]

Keeping watching. Maybe you'll be the one who sees the next lunar asteroid impact and be famous. Activity has slowed considerably in the past few [couple billion] years, but there are still asteroids and there have been some near misses lately. Tiny ones hit all the time, especially during meteor showers. Next major shower is due to start in a couple of weeks. Mostly comet dust, but there might be a larger chunk in with them.

[aruanan]

Still quite faint at magnitude 18, 2002 NY40 is making a very tight loop around the star Beta Aquarii. During the next few weeks it will brighten tremendously and yet remain almost motionless in the sky — the eerie signature of an asteroid hurtling right toward Earth!

Now that's one stinking fast asteroid!

[floriduh voter]

Unless they add a baccarat course to the conference, I guess you'll be winging it. On the other hand, since it appears they are going to have Friva Las Vegas annually, you can come back and lose next year too! LOL

[strela]

Unless they add a baccarat course to the conference, I guess you'll be winging it.

You mean, there's no course on how to keep from losing your shirt at the conference (unless of course it is one of the showgirls pulling it off)? GASP! ;)

[RightWhale]

Considering they just discovered this, it is good it will miss because there isn't anything that could be done if it didn't move left or right, up or down but just got bigger and bigger. They'll need at least ten years leadtime amd $1 trillion if they expect to stop one coming straight in.

[floriduh voter]

On second thought, maybe "earned media for activists" is the "losing your shirt" course. You earned it and then through your activism, you lost your shirt.

[strela]

Nice analogy.

[Elsie]

ok, you got a mile-wide rock, it's clipping along say about a thousand miles an hour or so, it hits the earth, people 50 miles away feel a little shaking in the ground....no big deal. You hear about it on the 6 o'clock news. Right?

MMmmmm..............., not quite.

---

If you get a chance someday, visit Meteor Crater in Arizona, about 50 miles East of Flagstaff, just south of the interstate a few miles. That baby, they estimate, was about the size of a small pickup. It blasted a HOLE a mile across! People (were they around then?) 500 miles away would have known something was up!

[Elsie]

OOoops!

My rememberer is out of calibration!

Go here.

[southern rock]

As a conservative, I generally oppose spending on government programs.

As a conservative, I generally approve of the prospect of a giant asteroid colliding with the Earth. It really is all over for people who think as we do, anyway. Nothing good to come. Trust me.

/ Bob Grant style pessimism

[robertpaulsen]

The Snouts are coming!

[stboz]

I wonder if this thing has some "tag-alongs" in its gravitational field? Could be a few ugly surprises on the 18th.

[galt-jw]

arent we supposed to be cruising through a really dense area of cosmic crap now?