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4 million miles might seem like a long way away, but to put this into perspective the sun is 93 million miles away and so this lump of hazardous material is about 5% of the distance between us and the sun. That in my book makes this a close shave.
Good on the boys who have these toys for spotting space rocks which could cause us a calamity. There are probably a goodly number which have been closer that 4 million miles in the past, but which we didn't have the technology to see.
- Andrew, Berkshire, 29/9/2010 00:17
Boy, just 4 million miles. How far away is that? Can we see 4 million miles away? On what side of the earth will it be passing? Will it be night or day when it passes? How fast will it be going. Will we see a tail of light coming from it if it come by at night? Will we see anything if it goes by during the day? What time will it pass? How much does it weight. What color is it?
FOUR MILLION MILES AWAY.........GIVE US A BRAKE!.
- Frank Rodgers, Pembroke, Ontario, Can., 28/9/2010 22:28Wow Frank. You are a real big thinker. Well riddle me this. When you take your big clumping foot and stand near an ant. Is that ant lucky because you are 400 ant lengths away from extinguishing his life?
- Craig, Leeds, UK, 28/9/2010 23:15
Look on the bright side.
A direct hit from an asteroid might just bring an end to the DFS sale!
- Mark, Bicester, Oxon., 28/9/2010 22:45
Boy, just 4 million miles. How far away is that? Can we see 4 million miles away? On what side of the earth will it be passing? Will it be night or day when it passes? How fast will it be going. Will we see a tail of light coming from it if it come by at night? Will we see anything if it goes by during the day? What time will it pass? How much does it weight. What color is it?
I ask these questions only because I want to know where to park my car. I have it insured and I'm looking for a new one. This could be the answer. Or should I wait till one passes by, maybe, 400 miles away? I'd stand a better chance of it hitting.....wouldn't I. Then, we could all scream, "The sky is falling! The Sky is falling!"
FOUR MILLION MILES AWAY.........GIVE US A BRAKE!.
- Frank Rodgers, Pembroke, Ontario, Can., 28/9/2010 22:28
But we will still need Bruce Willis!!
- Simon, Israel, 28/9/2010 22:09
Send Bruce Willis and make sure he takes Jordan.
- Terry, Hastings, 28/9/2010 21:58
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Astronomers spot 'potentially hazardous' asteroid just ONE month before it is due to pass close to Earth
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 3:51 PM on 28th September 2010
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Astronomers have spotted a 'potentially hazardous' asteroid less than one month before it is due to pass close to Earth.
The object, given the name '2010 ST3', is 150 metres in diameter and will pass within four million miles of Earth in mid-October.
It was discovered using the Panoramic Survey Telescope & Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) PS1 telescope in images taken on September 16th, when it was about 20 million miles away.
It is the first 'potentially hazardous object' (PHO) to be discovered by the Pan-STARRS survey, using a new telescope designed to scan the skies for dangerous asteroids.
Two images of 2010 ST3 (circled in green) taken by PS1 about 15 minutes apart on the night of Sept. 16
Two images of 2010 ST3 (circled in green) taken by PS1 about 15 minutes apart on the night of Sept. 16
Two images of 2010 ST3 (circled in green) taken by PS1 about 15 minutes apart on the night of Sept 16th
'Although this particular object won't hit Earth in the immediate future, its discovery shows that Pan-STARRS is now the most sensitive system dedicated to discovering potentially dangerous asteroids,' said Robert Jedicke, a University of Hawaii member of the PS1 Scientific Consortium, who is working on the asteroid data from the telescope.
'This object was discovered when it was too far away to be detected by other asteroid surveys,' Jedicke noted.
Most of the largest PHOs have already been catalogued, but scientists suspect that there are many more under a mile across that have not yet been discovered.
These could cause devastation on a regional scale if they ever hit our planet. Such impacts are estimated to occur once every few thousand years.
The Pan-STARRS PS1 Observatory just before sunrise on Haleakala, Maui
The Pan-STARRS PS1 Observatory just before sunrise on Haleakala, Maui
Timothy Spahr, director of the Minor Planet Center (MPC), said, 'I congratulate the Pan-STARRS project on this discovery.
'It is proof that the PS1 telescope, with its Gigapixel Camera and its sophisticated computerized system for detecting moving objects, is capable of finding potentially dangerous objects that no one else has found.'
Pan-STARRS expects to discover tens of thousands of new asteroids every year with sufficient precision to accurately calculate their orbits around the sun.
Any sizable object that looks like it may come close to Earth within the next 50 years or so will be labeled 'potentially hazardous' and carefully monitored.
NASA experts believe that, given several years warning, it should be possible to organize a space mission to deflect any asteroid that is discovered to be on a collision course with Earth.
PS1 and its bigger brother, PS4, which will be operational later in this decade, are expected to discover a million or more asteroids in total.
They will also spot more distant targets such as variable stars, supernovas, and mysterious bursts from galaxies across more than half the universe. PS1 became fully operational in June 201.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1315819/2010-ST3-asteroid-spot...
