Closest Asteroid Yet Flies Past Earth

New Scientist ^ | 10-3-2003 | Jeff Hecht

[blam]

Closest asteroid yet flies past Earth

18:17 02 October 03

NewScientist.com news service

An asteroid about the size of a small house passed just 88,000 kilometres from the Earth by on Saturday 27 September - the closest approach of a natural object ever recorded. Geostationary communication satellites circle the Earth 42,000km from the planet's centre.

The asteroid, designated 2003 SQ222, came from inside the Earth's orbit and so was only spotted after it had whizzed by. The first sighting was on Sunday 28 by the Lowell Observatory Near-Earth Object Search program in Arizona, US.

Amateur astronomer Peter Birtwhistle of Great Shefford, Berkshire, UK, then photographed it on Monday 29. This provided data that helped Brian Marsden, of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, to calculate its orbit.

The asteroid's 1.85-year orbit is quite eccentric, indicating it cannot be a man-made object, Marsden says. He estimates the asteroid measured less than 10 metres. This is too small to have posed a danger to Earth, although it would have made a spectacular fireball had it entered the atmosphere.

House fires

The passage came at about 2300 GMT, only 10 hours after a bright fireball streaked over the Orissa region of India. Indian villagers have found pieces of the meteorite, which reportedly cause two house fires. However, this event was not connected to the fly past of 2003 SQ222, says Marsden.

The previous record for closest approach of an asteroid - 108,000km measured from the centre of the Earth - was set in 1994 by another 10m object named 1994 XM1.

But the third-closest approach - at 120,000km - was object 2002 MN, which was about 80m in diameter. If on target, that could have exploded in the Earth's lower atmosphere and devastated a couple of thousand square kilometres on the ground.

Another small asteroid, 2003 SW130, missed the Earth by 160,000km on 19 September, making it a busy month for asteroid watchers.

Jeff Hecht

[blam]

I wonder if we are near a swarm?

Btw, we had an earthquake in south Alabama Wednesday.

[Support Free Republic]

How we have, and can, change the world

History of Free Republic

Click The Logo To Donate

[katana]

Misleading headline. Methinks the pebble that wiped out T-Rex and Co. came just a bit closer.

[Diogenesis]

Couric, representing NBC:
"We (at NBC) blame 2003 SQ222 on the evil President Bush."

[Poohbah]

The asteroid was obviously yapping on its cellphone and wasn't looking where it was going (c8

[RightWhale]

Tomorrow Sputnik is 45. For the first 15 years great strides were made.

[hchutch]

Time to dust off Project ICARUS.

[gridlock]

It's all Bush's fault!

[Prodigal Son]

That's pretty close. I wonder what a rock that size would've done if it had hit. Would it burn up or would it have made it to the ground in a size capable of inflicting damage?

[blam]

From the article.

"This is too small to have posed a danger to Earth, although it would have made a spectacular fireball had it entered the atmosphere."

[LiteKeeper]

"DUCK!"

[The Great RJ]

Of course had it hit earth women and minorities would have been affected most. I'm also certain that global warming/cooling, the hole in the ozone layer and my driving a beat-up SUV, not to mention the Republicans personally added to the risk. Tom Daschle was also "saddened" that this has been allowed to happen. (I probably maxed out my sarcasm--enough already)

[RightWhale]

Yes, I see it on ANSS. Also, there is the hurricane display at NOAA for those who feel a need to watch the planet in a spaceage way.

[Porterville]

I wish they'd do away with that damn metric system

[GSWarrior]

Lucifer's Hammer is coming.

[RightWhale]

ICARUS was an MIT student project and not practical. What is needed to handle vagrant asteroids is the same equipment needed for mining asteroids. No nukes necessary or even desireable.

[scan59]

Is Sputnik still up there?

[Blood of Tyrants]

The previous record for closest approach of an asteroid - 108,000km measured from the centre of the Earth - was set in 1994

What are they talking about? Asteroids hit the earth every single day.

[Prodigal Son]

From the article.

D-oh! Didn't see that ;-)