Near-Earth Asteroid to get closer next year...

[SavageEagle]

2005 YU55 Will pass between the Moon and the Earth about this time next year.

On the Plus side of things, obamatard finally grew a few brain-cells and is upping NASA's budget from $3.7mil to $20.3mil in 2011. I just want to know where he's getting all this money to create programs AND up existing program's budgets... Either way, it's about time NASA gets a boost.

Potentially Dangerous Asteroid Spotted Passing Earth - Yahoo! News

Read the rest at the source.

SPACE.com Staff

SPACE.com Space.com Staff

Learn More at Space.com. From Satellites to Stars, NASA information, Astronomy, the Sun and the Planets, we have your information here. – Thu Apr 29, 12:01 pm ET


An asteroid on the list of potentially dangerous space rocks that could endanger the Earth was caught on camera as it zoomed past our planet this month, and found to be larger than astronomers originally thought.


The asteroid buzzed the Earth on April 19 and came within 1.5 million miles (2.4 million km) of the planet. That's about six times the distance between Earth and the moon.


Astronomers used the planetary radar system on the famed Arecibo radio telescope in Arecibo, Puerto Rico to spot the asteroid, called 2005 YU55, over four days starting on April 19. The photo revealed the asteroid as a half-lit space rock flying through the solar system.


"This object is on the list of 'potentially hazardous asteroids' maintained by the Minor Planet Center, of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Mass.," Arecibo astronomers said in a statement. [More asteroid photos.]


The astronomers found that the asteroid is about 1,300 feet (400 meters) in size – about a quarter-mile (400 meters) long and twice as big as originally thought. The Arecibo telescope's planetary radar system resolved features on the asteroid down to about 25 feet (7.5 meters).


Asteroid 2005 YU55 was first discovered by astronomer Robert McMillan, of the Spacewatch detection team, on Dec. 28, 2005. And this isn't the only chance astronomers will have to study 2005 YU55.


The space rock will be back.

 

[Benny]

Scary stuff...Does anyone know what kind of damage an asteroid that size would do to Earth?

 

[SavageEagle]

Scary stuff...Does anyone know what kind of damage an asteroid that size would do to Earth?

Most likely an ELE. Extinction Level Event. I can't remember what the size ranges/impact levels are. This one is a big one though. Should be a sight to see next year.

 

[evansvillethompsongunner]

2005 YU55 Will pass between the Moon and the Earth about this time next year.

On the Plus side of things, obamatard finally grew a few brain-cells and is upping NASA's budget from $3.7mil to $20.3mil in 2011. I just want to know where he's getting all this money to create programs AND up existing program's budgets... Either way, it's about time NASA gets a boost.

Potentially Dangerous Asteroid Spotted Passing Earth - Yahoo! News

Read the rest at the source.

Wait.

Three million with an 'M'?

Oh, it.... perhaps the ONLY government agency with a useful purpose, and he's limiting them to the cost of one shuttle launch? What a crock. I want NASA to have more funds than the Federal Reserve.

Edit: Oh, it's only $3 million for the asteroid finders, not NASA's total budget.
My rage has subsided.

And Ben, I'm not sure, but I've heard time and time again that a mile-big one is a life-ender on Earth, so one-fourth of total destruction, I'm guessing.

 

[Benny]

Most likely an ELE. Extinction Level Event. I can't remember what the size ranges/impact levels are. This one is a big one though. Should be a sight to see next year.

And Ben, I'm not sure, but I've heard time and time again that a mile-big one is a life-ender on Earth, so one-fourth of total destruction, I'm guessing.

Yeah, either way we'd be headed for some rough times if something that large hit.

I wonder if it'd be better (for us) if it landed in the ocean or say, the Middle East?

If it struck land, we're looking at some serious debris in the atmosphere and if it struck water we're looking at some serious tidal waves.

 

[evansvillethompsongunner]

Yeah, either way we'd be headed for some rough times if something that large hit.

I wonder if it'd be better (for us) if it landed in the ocean or say, the Middle East?

If it struck land, we're looking at some serious debris in the atmosphere and if it struck water we're looking at some serious tidal waves.

MID-DLE EAST! MID-DLE EAST! MID-DLE EAST!

Hot hell, that would solve most of our foreign policy problems right there.

 

[dieselman]

heres a question... close in 2010... closER in 2011... how close in the fabled 2012?

also, cant NASA use some of their money to create some sort of space cruise missle to blow that sucker up?

 

[Benny]

heres a question... close in 2010... closER in 2011... how close in the fabled 2012?

I'm guessing it will pass us on the other side...Think about the distance from where it passed us last time to where it's going to pass us next year...

The asteroid buzzed the Earth on April 19 and came within 1.5 million miles (2.4 million km) of the planet. That's about six times the distance between Earth and the moon.

 

[EvilleDoug]

based on the math, it looks like it wont come again until early to mid 2013.

I am in no way ashamed to say that this scares the hell out of me. dude, I have to get more ammo, and a bigger first aide kit.

Yea, although I do not want this thing crashing into the earth, If it has to...yes mid-dle east...mid-dle east, lets get the cheer going early.

But seriously, wow, between the earth and the moon, I would think that that would cause some tide issues at the very least.

 

[SavageEagle]

But seriously, wow, between the earth and the moon, I would think that that would cause some tide issues at the very least.

Yea, this thing won't be hitting us any time soon, but at least NASA is working on how to deflect or destroy "earth killers".

I'm also very interested to know what it's gravitational pull will do to us. It's gotta be big though. And just think what Earth's pull will do to it! It's a good thing we don't live on, say, Saturn!

 

[printcraft]

.......... It's a good thing we don't live on, say, Saturn!

Or Uranus.

 

[SavageEagle]

Or Uranus.

That has to be one SMELLY place. The collective butthole of the galaxy...

 

[Pami]

Yea, this thing won't be hitting us any time soon, but at least NASA is working on how to deflect or destroy "earth killers".

Dude, Hollywood figured that one out YEARS ago...

Armageddon (1998/I)

 

[IndyBeerman]

I'm also very interested to know what it's gravitational pull will do to us. It's gotta be big though. And just think what Earth's pull will do to it!

It should have no effect at the size that it is, and it will have very little gravitation pull on it, and for that to happen the objects will need to be considerably smaller than it and quite a ways from objects that have more mass.

 

[SavageEagle]

and for that to happen the objects will need to be considerably smaller than it and quite a ways from objects that have more mass.

The first part, yea, probably. But the quoted part, no. The moon is much smaller than earth and father away, yet has a considerable amount of effect on earth.

That and it could pull the moon closer to us. Probably not, but every little millimeter isn't exactly better for us.

 

[IndyBeerman]

The first part, yea, probably. But the quoted part, no. The moon is much smaller than earth and father away, yet has a considerable amount of effect on earth.

Moon is a little bigger mass than you think it is.

The earth would have more effect on the asteroid than the moon.

It'd be like a Nimitz class aircraft carrier on steroids flying between the moon and earth. Just not enough mass to effect anything especially at the speed at which it will be passing.

The moon (2,140miles) is a little more than 1/4 of the width of earth (7,926 miles) the asteroid is 400 meters (1,312.34 feet almost a 1/4 mile) Nimitz Aircraft Carrier (1092 ft.) Close enough for comparison.

Earth ='s Basketball
Moon ='s baseball
Asteroid ='s size of a pin head

 

[jknapp]

sounds like dooms day guys haha im scared outta my mind for this thing lol
i mean think about it. something that size will desimate the earth in minutes, if not seconds, if it throws us just slightly off our axis it will change the weather everywhere, who knows it could b like africa here or maybe itl change to antartica weather lol. or if it throws us farther or closer to the sun then we'de be soooooo up a creek w/o a paddle haha

 

[UncleMike]

Be careful.
If we call the asteroid an Illegal Alien the Libs will say that we are Cosmic Racists and BHO will have The Justice Dept. launch an investigation to determine if the asteroids Civil rights have been violated.
Mike

 

[jknapp]

or heck maybe itl throw the moon off haha SURFS UP!

 

[Fenway]

If this goes bad lets all meet in the survival forum!