Science New asteroid to do "near miss" on Halloween

[Debi]

Nasa predicts near-miss with asteroid on Halloween

Nasa predicts near-miss with asteroid on Halloween
This Halloween, an asteroid is going to be flying closer to Earth than any has since 2006, according to Nasa

An asteroid is due to pass by Earth on Halloween and miss us by a whisker, according to Nasa.

Well, if whiskers were 499,000km long, at any rate. The asteroid was spotted by Nasa a fortnight ago and is set to fly past the Earth on Halloween at over 78,000mph.

It will cross by Earth at the closest it's been since 2006.

The space agency explained why they spotted it at such short notice, despite constantly montoring the size.

They said: "The asteroid is on an extremely eccentric and a high inclination orbit."

We won't be able to see the asteroid with the naked eye, but anyone with access to a telescope will be able to see it as it passes by.

"This is the closest approach by a known object this large until 1999 AN10 approaches within 1 lunar distance in August 2027," said Nasa.
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I keep hearing them say "Not to worry! Nothing can sneak up on us!" Yeah...well, this one did and there have been others!

 

[Maphoo]

Nasa predicts near-miss with asteroid on Halloween

Nasa predicts near-miss with asteroid on Halloween
This Halloween, an asteroid is going to be flying closer to Earth than any has since 2006, according to Nasa

An asteroid is due to pass by Earth on Halloween and miss us by a whisker, according to Nasa.

Well, if whiskers were 499,000km long, at any rate. The asteroid was spotted by Nasa a fortnight ago and is set to fly past the Earth on Halloween at over 78,000mph.

It will cross by Earth at the closest it's been since 2006.

The space agency explained why they spotted it at such short notice, despite constantly montoring the size.

They said: "The asteroid is on an extremely eccentric and a high inclination orbit."

We won't be able to see the asteroid with the naked eye, but anyone with access to a telescope will be able to see it as it passes by.

"This is the closest approach by a known object this large until 1999 AN10 approaches within 1 lunar distance in August 2027," said Nasa.
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I keep hearing them say "Not to worry! Nothing can sneak up on us!" Yeah...well, this one did and there have been others!

wow thats 279,000 miles for us. a hair further away than the moon! Is IT safe?

 

[Maphoo]

I am surprised they found it SO early!

 

[Grinchesbro]

They wont worry about it even after it lands on your roof

 

[Debi]

I keep hearing all these astronomers on Art saying "We see them all....they can't sneak in on us!" I call BS!!!

 

[7Critter]

Another passing comet dubbed Comet Lovejoy.

This is a picture of the comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) on 22 Feb. 2015

Researchers catch Comet Lovejoy giving away alcohol
Date: October 24, 2015
Source: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Summary: Comet Lovejoy lived up to its name by releasing large amounts of alcohol as well as a type of sugar into space, according to new observations by an international team

Excerpt:
Comet Lovejoy lived up to its name by releasing large amounts of alcohol as well as a type of sugar into space, according to new observations by an international team. The discovery marks the first time ethyl alcohol, the same type in alcoholic beverages, has been observed in a comet. The finding adds to the evidence that comets could have been a source of the complex organic molecules necessary for the emergence of life.

"We found that comet Lovejoy was releasing as much alcohol as in at least 500 bottles of wine every second during its peak activity," said Nicolas Biver of the Paris Observatory, France, lead author of a paper on the discovery published Oct. 23 in Science Advances. The team found 21 different organic molecules in gas from the comet, including ethyl alcohol and glycolaldehyde, a simple sugar

Weblink: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151024092534.htm

 

[7Critter]

I believe that this National Geographic article discusses the same Asteroid from Debi's Post #1

Asteroid Called ‘Spooky’ Will Buzz Earth on Halloween
Astronomers from NASA's Near Earth Object Program first spotted the incoming asteroid on October 10,
just three weeks before its closest approach.
It was too small and faint to detect until it came within the range of large survey telescopes.

Excerpt:
A space rock bigger than a skyscraper will sail past Earth on Halloween, zipping by just beyond the moon.
The asteroid won't collide with our planet, but as a cosmic trick-or-treat it offers a rare chance to see a near miss.

The article has a nice graph showing the relative size of the asteroid and a brief animation of the asteroid as it passes earth
It also tells you how and when to observe the asteriod

Article link: Asteroid Called ‘Spooky’ Will Buzz Earth on Halloween