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Hefty Asteroid to Sweep Near Earth. (Almost a half mile wide. Can be Seen w/Binoculars)
Sky and Telescope ^ | Roger W. Sinnott

Posted on 07/25/2002 9:34:11 AM PDT by 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.


TOPICS: Announcements; Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 2002nt7; asteroid; astronomy
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1 posted on 07/25/2002 9:34:11 AM PDT by Joe Hadenuf
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To: Joe Hadenuf
It will probably still be too light to see this from Fairbanks, but we'll check it out.
2 posted on 07/25/2002 9:40:01 AM PDT by RightWhale
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To: Joe Hadenuf; Physicist; PatrickHenry; VadeRetro
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.

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

But in this case, I believe these close calls with asteroids warrant the U.S. government to find out where these asteroids are and research how to deflect them.

A few million dollars spent on asteroid detection and defense will pale in comparison to the trillions of dollars in damage that would result from the impact of an asteroid of this magnitude.

Or better yet, maybe Steven Speilberg can spend the money he made from Deep Impact to fund such programs.

Opinions?

3 posted on 07/25/2002 9:54:05 AM PDT by Momaw Nadon
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To: Joe Hadenuf
Probably won't see it do to excessive street lighting in the city.
4 posted on 07/25/2002 9:55:04 AM PDT by Conan the Librarian
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To: Joe Hadenuf
Already posted under a different title HERE.
5 posted on 07/25/2002 9:58:56 AM PDT by PatrickHenry
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To: PatrickHenry
Nope, THAT thread is about 2002 NT7: this is a different, and smaller, rock. . .
6 posted on 07/25/2002 10:00:17 AM PDT by Salgak
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To: PatrickHenry
Incorrect.
7 posted on 07/25/2002 10:03:34 AM PDT by Republican Wildcat
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To: Joe Hadenuf
If there's a potential of it hitting the Earth in the future, maybe we should nuke it after it passes us, changing its orbit so it goes into the Sun.
8 posted on 07/25/2002 10:06:59 AM PDT by etcetera
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To: Momaw Nadon
A few million dollars spent on asteroid detection and defense will pale in comparison to the trillions of dollars in damage that would result from the impact of an asteroid of

Won't be a few $1 million. More like $100 billion to $1 trillion.

9 posted on 07/25/2002 10:07:15 AM PDT by RightWhale
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To: Republican Wildcat; Salgak
Oh m'God! They're coming at us from everywhere! It's the end of the world!
10 posted on 07/25/2002 10:07:41 AM PDT by PatrickHenry
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To: Momaw Nadon
The US governement from it's beginning has funded scientific research with taxpayers monies. I have no problem with it. The odds are long, but if we hit this jackpot that's probably the end of civilization for possibly thousands of years, and very possibly the end of sapient life on earth. We need to fund these programs. I have never quibbled with NASA's budget, even at times I have thought they had less than inspired leadership and objectives.
11 posted on 07/25/2002 10:14:59 AM PDT by Paid4This
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To: RightWhale
The first step is mapping the courses of every orbiting object in our solar system out for about 10000 years. That wouldn't cost trillions, probably wouldn't even cost 50 million. It's money well spent, they can take it out of some welfare program. One of the only things our government is supposed to do is protect it's citizenry, this qualifies.

Also, another reason the old space program was so costly is that Democrats and democrat-kin like Johnson and Nixon funded it. One of the only accomplishments of the Clinton administration was NASA's inception of more numerous, cheap and more powerful space exploration platforms. Maybe a little too cheap, given the failure of the Mars missions. But overall it's a sound idea.

12 posted on 07/25/2002 10:19:32 AM PDT by Paid4This
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To: PatrickHenry
Nope, this is a newly discovered asteroid, completely unknown, until earlier this month.
13 posted on 07/25/2002 10:21:34 AM PDT by Joe Hadenuf
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To: Paid4This
The mapping is well underway, especially in America and England. The next step, should a collider be identified, will not be cheap. That's where the rest of the $1 trillion will go.
14 posted on 07/25/2002 10:23:45 AM PDT by RightWhale
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To: Joe Hadenuf
Where's the one with all the gold on it?
We should lasso it and bring it on in.
15 posted on 07/25/2002 10:29:17 AM PDT by rockfish59
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To: Momaw Nadon
Or better yet, maybe Steven Speilberg can spend the money he made from Deep Impact to fund such programs. Opinions?

Yes, Liberals must fund this. Its their fault.

16 posted on 07/25/2002 10:30:35 AM PDT by Doe Eyes
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To: etcetera
"changing its orbit so it goes into the Sun."

Unfortunately, it takes more energy to get to the sun than to about anyplace else in the solar system. About all we can do is predict an asteroid impact and then nudge it so that it just misses.

17 posted on 07/25/2002 10:31:28 AM PDT by OBAFGKM
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To: etcetera
You know, that's an interesting idea. Maybe we ought to see if we can even hit one as it passes. This could give us data that could help in the distant future, with one that is on a collision course.

It would be interesting to see if a hit would even change the course of somthing almost a half mile wide. I imagine it would. What a target though, 330,000 miles from earth. That would be like hitting a fly at 500 yards with 22 rifle.

Of course, if one were on a collision trajectory, we could wait until it was a lot closer. Then again, if we broke it up, it could rain down 500 boulders the size of houses, instead of one big one.

18 posted on 07/25/2002 10:31:45 AM PDT by Joe Hadenuf
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To: Joe Hadenuf
If folks really understood how vulnerable we are on this lil rock amidst all the other rocks floating around ... Well, They'd probably be very upset!

Hey it was good enough for the dinosaurs, it ought take out the liebrals too .. Cockroaches will survive as well as lobbyists ..
19 posted on 07/25/2002 10:31:45 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
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To: Joe Hadenuf
If this asteroid hits it will be a great opportunity to short the stock market.
20 posted on 07/25/2002 10:33:14 AM PDT by montag813
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