An asteroid barely missed Earth last week, and no one knew it was coming
[ad_1]
An asteroid about the size of a refrigerator shot past Earth last week, and astronomers didn’t know the object existed until hours after it was gone.
It was a close call (from a cosmic perspective); the space rock’s trajectory on Oct. 24 carried it over Antarctica within 1,800 miles (3,000 kilometers) of Earth — closer than some satellites — making it the third-closest asteroid to approach the planet without actually hitting it, CNET reported.
Scientists were unaware of the object, dubbed Asteroid 2021 UA1, because it approached Earth’s daytime side from the direction of the sun, so the comparatively dim and small visitor went undetected until about 4 hours after passing by at its closest point, according to CNET.
Related: Top 10 ways to destroy Earth
But with a diameter of just 6.6 feet (2 meters), UA1 was too small to pose a threat. Even if it had struck Earth, most of its rocky body would have burned away in the atmosphere before it could hit the ground, CNET reported.
Comets and asteroids that orbit within our cosmic neighborhood, approaching Earth within 1.3 astronomical units (120.9 million miles, or 194.5 million kilometers) are known as near-Earth objects (NEOs), according to NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS). NASA uses telescopes on the ground and in space to find and monitor NEOs; to track their orbits and identify their size, shape and composition; and to pinpoint potentially hazardous objects, managing these efforts through the agency’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office.
For an object to be considered dangerous, it has to measure at least 460 feet (140 m) in diameter, NASA says. UA1 may not have been big enough to threaten the planet, but what about bigger asteroids that might be headed our way? NASA is also investigating defensive technologies for protecting Earth from possible collisions with larger space rocks, through deflection.
The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), scheduled to launch Nov. 24, will test a method for diverting asteroids by hitting them with high-speed remote-controlled spaceships, NASA representatives said in a statement. Scientists will send the DART spacecraft hurtling into the near-Earth binary asteroid Didymos, which is shaped like a spinning top and has two bodies; the bigger one measures about 2,600 feet (780 m) in diameter, and its smaller moonlet measures around 520 feet (160 m) in diameter.
Didymos came closest to Earth in 2003, skimming it at a distance of approximately 4.5 million miles (7.18 million km), but it typically circles the sun just outside Earth’s orbital path, according to NASA. While Didymos doesn’t threaten Earth, it’s just about the right size to test if the collision can nudge a hazardous NEO enough to divert it from a collision course with Earth, according to the statement.
Still, to divert an asteroid, NASA would need to detect it before it hit Earth. That’s why another mission, NEO Surveyor, is developing an infrared space telescope that could improve the chances of spying sneaky asteroids such as UA1 that approach from behind the sun, according to the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, which is collaborating with NASA on the project.
To date, NASA has identified approximately 27,000 NEOs, of which about 9,800 measure at least 459 feet (140 m) in diameter and 890 measure 0.6 mile (1 km) in diameter, according to the CNEOS.
While UA1 may have been a relative pip-squeak, other asteroids zooming by Earth on Nov. 2 are significantly bigger, according to NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Asteroid Watch. Those five space rocks range in diameter from 56 feet (17 m), or about the length of a house, to an airplane-size 170 feet (52 m).
Luckily, none of these space rocks will come within 515,000 miles (829,000 km) of Earth, NASA says.
Originally published on Live Science.
[ad_2]
Original Post
Thanks for your marvelous posting! I genuinely enjoyed reading it, you can be a great author.I will remember to bookmark your blog and definitely will come back sometime soon. I want to encourage you continue your great job, have a nice day!
Hiya, I’m really glad I have found this information. Today bloggers publish just about gossips and web and this is actually irritating. A good blog with exciting content, this is what I need. Thank you for keeping this web-site, I’ll be visiting it. Do you do newsletters? Can not find it.
Sweet site, super pattern, real clean and utilize genial.
With havin so much content do you ever run into any problems of plagorism or copyright violation? My site has a lot of exclusive content I’ve either authored myself or outsourced but it seems a lot of it is popping it up all over the web without my authorization. Do you know any methods to help stop content from being stolen? I’d definitely appreciate it.
I truly enjoy studying on this web site, it holds great content.
I’m still learning from you, but I’m making my way to the top as well. I certainly liked reading everything that is written on your website.Keep the tips coming. I enjoyed it!
Wow! This could be one particular of the most beneficial blogs We’ve ever arrive across on this subject. Actually Magnificent. I’m also a specialist in this topic therefore I can understand your hard work.
I precisely wished to thank you very much yet again. I’m not certain what I could possibly have tried without the entire secrets provided by you concerning such concern. It was actually a real difficult dilemma in my position, nevertheless coming across this well-written style you resolved that made me to jump for contentment. Now i’m grateful for your support and thus have high hopes you are aware of a powerful job you’re undertaking teaching men and women by way of a blog. I’m certain you haven’t encountered all of us.
Hello! I just would like to give a huge thumbs up for the great info you have here on this post. I will be coming back to your blog for more soon.
I wish to express some thanks to this writer just for rescuing me from this particular scenario. Just after looking through the search engines and finding thoughts that were not beneficial, I believed my entire life was over. Being alive minus the strategies to the difficulties you’ve solved as a result of this site is a critical case, as well as ones that might have negatively affected my entire career if I had not noticed your web blog. Your own personal know-how and kindness in taking care of all areas was vital. I am not sure what I would’ve done if I hadn’t encountered such a point like this. I’m able to at this point look forward to my future. Thanks a lot very much for your high quality and effective guide. I won’t think twice to propose your web blog to any individual who would like support about this topic.
Definitely believe that which you stated. Your favorite reason seemed to be on the internet the simplest thing to be aware of. I say to you, I certainly get annoyed while people think about worries that they plainly do not know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top as well as defined out the whole thing without having side effect , people can take a signal. Will probably be back to get more. Thanks
I do agree with all of the ideas you’ve presented in your post. They are really convincing and will definitely work. Still, the posts are very short for beginners. Could you please extend them a little from next time? Thanks for the post.
Howdy are using WordPress for your blog platform? I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and set up my own. Do you require any html coding expertise to make your own blog? Any help would be really appreciated!
Hey very cool web site!! Man .. Excellent .. Amazing .. I’ll bookmark your site and take the feeds also…I’m happy to find a lot of useful information here in the post, we need develop more techniques in this regard, thanks for sharing. . . . . .
Great post, I think people should learn a lot from this web blog its really user genial.
I am always searching online for posts that can benefit me. Thank you!
Woh I enjoy your articles, bookmarked! .
Hey! Quick question that’s totally off topic. Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly? My web site looks weird when viewing from my iphone 4. I’m trying to find a theme or plugin that might be able to resolve this problem. If you have any recommendations, please share. Many thanks!
Thanks for any other fantastic post. The place else could anyone get that type of info in such an ideal means of writing? I have a presentation subsequent week, and I’m at the look for such info.
Well I truly liked studying it. This tip procured by you is very effective for accurate planning.
I got what you intend, thankyou for putting up.Woh I am glad to find this website through google. “Success is dependent on effort.” by Sophocles.
I got what you intend, thanks for putting up.Woh I am pleased to find this website through google. “Don’t be afraid of opposition. Remember, a kite rises against not with the wind.” by Hamilton Mabie.
This actually answered my downside, thank you!
I appreciate, cause I found just what I was looking for. You’ve ended my four day long hunt! God Bless you man. Have a great day. Bye
Fascinating blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere? A design like yours with a few simple adjustements would really make my blog shine. Please let me know where you got your theme. Cheers
Great – I should certainly pronounce, impressed with your web site. I had no trouble navigating through all tabs as well as related information ended up being truly simple to do to access. I recently found what I hoped for before you know it in the least. Reasonably unusual. Is likely to appreciate it for those who add forums or anything, site theme . a tones way for your customer to communicate. Nice task..
I discovered your blog site on google and check a few of your early posts. Continue to keep up the very good operate. I just additional up your RSS feed to my MSN News Reader. Seeking forward to reading more from you later on!…
Very interesting info!Perfect just what I was looking for!
Good info. Lucky me I reach on your website by accident, I bookmarked it.
Hi, Neat post. There’s a problem with your website in internet explorer, would test this… IE still is the market leader and a huge portion of people will miss your magnificent writing due to this problem.
I do accept as true with all of the ideas you have offered on your post. They are really convincing and will certainly work. Still, the posts are very brief for novices. May just you please lengthen them a bit from subsequent time? Thank you for the post.
What Is FitSpresso? It is a nutritional formula that is produced by the Natures Formulas.
You got a very fantastic website, Sword lily I observed it through yahoo.
very nice publish, i definitely love this website, carry on it
Heya i am for the first time here. I came across this board and I in finding It truly useful & it helped me out much. I hope to give one thing back and help others like you helped me.
You actually make it appear so easy along with your presentation but I find this matter to be really one thing which I feel I would never understand. It sort of feels too complicated and extremely large for me. I am looking ahead on your subsequent post, I?¦ll attempt to get the cling of it!
I’ve been exploring for a bit for any high quality articles or blog posts on this kind of area . Exploring in Yahoo I at last stumbled upon this web site. Reading this information So i am happy to convey that I’ve an incredibly good uncanny feeling I discovered just what I needed. I most certainly will make sure to don’t forget this website and give it a glance regularly.
An interesting discussion is worth comment. I think that you should write more on this topic, it might not be a taboo subject but generally people are not enough to speak on such topics. To the next. Cheers
Fitspresso stands out among the crowded health supplement market as an exceptional product.
Enjoyed reading through this, very good stuff, regards.
I truly appreciate this post. I have been looking everywhere for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You have made my day! Thank you again
I think you have remarked some very interesting details, regards for the post.
Its like you read my mind! You seem to know so much about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you could do with some pics to drive the message home a bit, but instead of that, this is magnificent blog. A fantastic read. I will definitely be back.
Lottery Defeater Software is a digital tool designed to assist individuals in improving their chances of winning in various lotteries.