Asteroid set to whiz past Earth next week

WTOP News (Washington DC) ^ | 3 March 2016 | ABC Radio

[COBOL2Java]

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(NEW YORK) — A basketball court-sized asteroid is set to whiz past Earth next week — but astronomers are unsure of just how close the asteroid will come or precisely when the flyby will happen.

However, you can breathe a sigh of relief: Astronomers say there’s no chance the rock will hit Earth. NASA’s team at the Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) predict Asteroid 2013 TX68 will come within 3 million miles of our planet, but have also left open the possibility it could pass as close as 15,000 miles. It’s expected the flyby will happen around March 8.

[9422WMR]

So who is going to clean that mess up?

[rsobin]

So, it could come within 15,000 miles of Earth but that estimate may be off by 2,985,000. Comforting.

[Talisker]

Serious question: anyone think they’d tell us if they figured out it was going to hit?

[Don Corleone]

That’s quite a ‘margin of error’ isn’t it?

[ealgeone]

No. The panic would be too much.

[spodefly]

It’s not the asteroids that concern me ... it’s the Klingon’s on Uranus.

[bankwalker]

Lucifer’s Hammer ...

[PIF]

When they start talking about a gal named Elle, you know the jig is up.

ELE = extinction level event.

[hoagy62]

I suppose it's better than having the asteroid whiz on the Earth.....

[Ozark Tom]

It’s confidence inspiring to know they revised the trajectory, such that now closest approach is a 3 day differential from previous calculations, March 8 instead of March 5. Anyone considered how far the Earth moves within it’s orbit given a 3 day window? It’s ~4,800,000 miles-—so what’s the error brackets???

[Lee Enfield]

You haven’t even seen my a..... never mind.

[Ozark Tom]

I had a clear sky forecast for the 5th, now I can’t see it coming on the 8th due to rain!

[Talisker]

It’s confidence inspiring to know they revised the trajectory, such that now closest approach is a 3 day differential from previous calculations, March 8 instead of March 5. Anyone considered how far the Earth moves within it’s orbit given a 3 day window? It’s ~4,800,000 miles-—so what’s the error brackets???

You've heard what they say about what it means if you're in a poker game and you can't figure out who the sucker is, right?

[Defiant]

3 million is like 10 times farther than the moon. How come they don’t worry about it almost hitting us every night?

[BobL]

That orbit of the asteroid looks a bit gay.

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

The Mayans knew what they were talking about!

[sageburn]

Loved that book!!!

[Captain Compassion]

Not really sure? I thought they had this celestial mechanics thing down pat.

[LurkedLongEnough]

WTOP... figures... it’s probably Trump they’re watching.