Cat-and-mouse asteroid nears Earth

Reuters ^ | January 3, 2003

[Centurion2000]

Other "moons" of Earth if you are interested

Cruithne

[The_Victor]

Yes, it is Friday, but the orbital body is actually an asteriod, not a comet. (Doh!) :)

[AppyPappy]

The same way that water can swallow a stone but you can skip a stone across water.

[Poohbah]

Too bad we can't send a Space Shuttle up to nudge it onto a collision course with Yongbyong...

Yo, hchutch...

Do you think THAT would solve the problem? :o)

[lds23]

The asteroid and Earth take turns sneaking up on each other, but they never get too close.

Sounds like the "Car Acrobatic Team" from "Speed Racer"

[The_Victor]

Much better than the JPL site (why am I not surprised).

[hchutch]

Dunno - 200 feet's kinda big. Lots of collateral damage to think of.

[Poohbah]

Lots of collateral damage to think of.

OK, so it stops being a peninsula and The Republic of Korea becomes an island. Whoop-de-do!

[Jonah Hex]

...because Earth's gravity rebuffs its periodic advances and keeps it at bay," said Don Yeomans of JPL in Pasadena, California...

[whistle]

"10 yard penalty, abuse of language. Gravity doesn't push, it sucks. Second down..."

[Old Professer]

The same way that water can swallow a stone but you can skip a stone across water.

That is simple surface-tension (molecular affinity).

[Ditter]

The earth gravity rebuffs it & keeps it at bay? What?

[AppyPappy]

molecular affinity

I never touched that mole and anyone who says I did is a liar.

[WIladyconservative]

Riddle me this -- how can the earth's gravity "repel" the asteroid -- an object with mass, BTW -- as this story states?

That was my main question, too, but ya beat me to it! I thought gravity basically . . .well. . . . sucked!

[Fiddlstix]

Indecisive asteroids

Yeah. They're such a pain.....

[rintense]

Oy. Ok then, is it 5:00 yet????? ;) I actually read an article this morning about a new comet. Brought back Hale-Bop memories.

[MeekOneGOP]

bttt for later read...

[MeekOneGOP]

Very interesting story. Thanks for the post...

"The combined gravitational effects of the Earth and sun will nudge the asteroid onto a slightly faster track just inside Earth's, and it will begin to pull ahead," he said.

In 95 years, the asteroid will have advanced all the way around to where it is catching up to the Earth from behind. A similar interaction with gravity from both the Earth and sun will then push the asteroid back onto a slower outside track, and the pattern will repeat.

[krb]

Here is a better graphic:

and here's another good one: