Incoming asteroid!
Jeruselem
27-09-2004, 14:16
An asteroid called 4179 Toutatis (named after a Celtic God, also in Asterix comics) will pass within 1 million miles or 4 lunar distances of Earth on the 29th of September. It's not once of those small ones, but will basically start Armageddon if it did hit Earth.
http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/asteroids/article_1336_1.asp
http://131.114.72.13/cgi-bin/neodys/neoibo?objects:Toutatis;main
Orbit diagram (same as NASA one)
http://www.coasttocoastam.com/timages/page/orbitViewer.html
PS - The NASA site database of Near Earth Objects is offline ... they trying to hide something?
Monkeypimp
27-09-2004, 14:25
$10 if it lands on your house!
Jeruselem
27-09-2004, 14:33
$10 if it lands on your house!
If it does, New Zealand will be hell as well as it is also on the same continental plate as Australia!
Monkeypimp
27-09-2004, 14:40
If it does, New Zealand will be hell as well as it is also on the same continental plate as Australia!
Well not all of New Zealand, but my house happens to be on the same plate. Dammit.
Demented Hamsters
27-09-2004, 14:41
I wouldn't be too worried: 1 million miles is still a fair distance. Afew years ago one flew past well within the distance between the Earth and the Moon. It wasn't noticed until after it had sailed past.
Which doesn't make one too confident over them detecting a real threat.
Monkeypimp
27-09-2004, 14:44
I wouldn't be too worried: 1 million miles is still a fair distance. Afew years ago one flew past well within the distance between the Earth and the Moon. It wasn't noticed until after it had sailed past.
Which doesn't make one too confident over them detecting a real threat.
But if a giant inter-steller wrecking ball is flying through space about to destroy the earth, what are you going to do? Ignorence is bliss..
Demented Hamsters
27-09-2004, 14:50
Very true. But it would be nice to have a bit of fore-warning, so you can do all those things and say all those things you've always wanted to do. say for example, going into a board meeting and crapping in the middle of the table in front of your boss, sticking one of those little 'granny smith' stickers on it and asking your boss: "How do you like them apples?"
Of course after doing that, you'd pretty damn well hope NASA got it right.
Jeruselem
27-09-2004, 14:51
But if a giant inter-steller wrecking ball is flying through space about to destroy the earth, what are you going to do? Ignorence is bliss..
Oh yes, Toutatis comes around for drinks every 4 years. The closest it last came was 1353. It will pass by in 2012 too (in the same 2011/2012 mayan calendar area)
Tactical Grace
27-09-2004, 14:55
Pants.
Yes, OK, something with a catalogue number that low and big enough to merit a name going anywhere near the Earth is not good. But if you look here: http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/risk/ it's not even on the table. The media tends to sensationalise things.
Jeruselem
27-09-2004, 15:03
Pants.
Yes, OK, something with a catalogue number that low and big enough to merit a name going anywhere near the Earth is not good. But if you look here: http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/risk/ it's not even on the table. The media tends to sensationalise things.
Well, if you trust the US government with truth about earthly matters - yes. Any rock over 1 KM, within 4 lunar distances of us, is not to be ignored. A small deviation from predicted, we are toast => like the dinosaurs.
Tactical Grace
27-09-2004, 15:06
It's been tracked for quite some time. I doubt its orbit can have any surprises at all. It's stuff we haven't found yet that is more of a worry.
Jeruselem
27-09-2004, 15:16
It's been tracked for quite some time. I doubt its orbit can have any surprises at all. It's stuff we haven't found yet that is more of a worry.
Still, nothing is certain if you're talking about God playing with marbles and saying "I got it". :p