God takes a few ranging shots at Earth with asteroids

[Caelius]

Source

Nasa have urged amateur astronomers to watch the skies as the Earth has a near encounter with two asteroids.

The objects, discovered just days ago, will pass within the moon's distance. Both can be viewed through medium-sized amateur telescopes.

The Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona, discovered both objects on Sunday morning during a routine monitoring of the skies.

Astronomers in Massachusetts determined their orbits and concluded that both objects would pass within the distance of the moon about three days after their discovery.

Near-Earth asteroid 2010 RX30 is estimated to be 32 to 65 feet (10 to 20 meters) in size and will pass within 0.6 lunar distances of Earth (about 154,000 miles, or 248,000 kilometers) 10am GMT.

The second object, 2010 RF12, estimated to be 20 to 46 feet (6 to 14 meters) in size, will pass within 0.2 lunar distances (about 49,088 miles or 79,000 kilometers) a few hours later at 6 pm GMT.

Kinda creepy that these were only detected within three days time of the planet, and completely random at that.

It really is a cosmic shooting gallery out there. At least we can take some satisfaction that these two are only city-killer sized, and not in the extinction level event size.

[MathiasOfAthens]

Newark, New Jersey deserves to be one of those cities "killed".

If the world got off their fat ass and were able to coordinate a launch they could crash a probe onto one of the roids.

[GrnEyedDvl]

Wow 50,000 miles is pretty close.

From the movie Armageddon, this pretty much sums it up:

President: Dan, we didn't see this thing coming?
Truman: Well, our object collision budget's about a million dollars a year. That allows us to track about three percent of the sky, and begging your pardon sir, but it's a big-ass sky.

[Magister Militum Flavius Aetius]

I think that crashing a probe onto one of the asteroids would be useful, or better yet putting it in earth's orbit. A planet killer sized asteroid (about 6 miles) in earth's orbit (at the right distance) would help slow the rate at which the moon was moving away from earth, and would also allow scientists to land probes on etc. to study the asteroid. it could also be used as a base for experimental ET planet colony buildings

[Gordon Freynman]

I think that crashing a probe onto one of the asteroids would be useful, or better yet putting it in earth's orbit. A planet killer sized asteroid (about 6 miles) in earth's orbit (at the right distance) would help slow the rate at which the moon was moving away from earth, and would also allow scientists to land probes on etc. to study the asteroid. it could also be used as a base for experimental ET planet colony buildings

Except these asteroids are only about the size of a bus.

[Ulyaoth]

I think that crashing a probe onto one of the asteroids would be useful, or better yet putting it in earth's orbit. A planet killer sized asteroid (about 6 miles) in earth's orbit (at the right distance) would help slow the rate at which the moon was moving away from earth, and would also allow scientists to land probes on etc. to study the asteroid. it could also be used as a base for experimental ET planet colony buildings

I really doubt even a large asteroid would make any appreciable difference in keeping the moon from flying away. Besides, who cares, Earth will long be uninhabitable to humans by the time the moon being further away would affect us.

[MathiasOfAthens]

really just a size of a bus no wonder we missed them. I was expecting maybe the size of the capitol.

[Turtle Hammer]

10-20 meters? Wouldn't that just burn up and look pretty? I was expecting something the size of Belgium.

[GeorgeL]

10-20 meters? Wouldn't that just burn up and look pretty? I was expecting something the size of Belgium.

I thnk something the size of Belgium means 'Game Over' for us, but I don't know what these two badboys would do. Probably burn up and scatter into little bits that might do a bit of damage? I dunno.

[Vizsla]

I imagine it depends what they’re made of and at what angle they enter the atmosphere at. Sometimes they explode in the sky and scatter little bits around the place.

[Caelius]

Asteroids of this size hitting the Earth would pretty much re-create an explosion on the same level as the Tunguska Event, so basically they'd be equivalent to really really big nukes going off.

Worse yet, if they actually hit a metropolitan area it'd pretty much wipe that city off the map.

[Prince of Darkness]

I thnk something the size of Belgium means 'Game Over' for us, but I don't know what these two badboys would do. Probably burn up and scatter into little bits that might do a bit of damage? I dunno.

Imagine a bus crashing right on your head/car/house/PC.

[Exarch]

please let it be LA
i hate that city
or detroit, whichever one's fine


but not las vegas

[Jaketh]

please let it be LA
i hate that city
or detroit, whichever one's fine


but not las vegas

Detroit, i have a friend in LA

[chilon]

please let it be LA
i hate that city
or detroit, whichever one's fine


but not las vegas

Not Las Vegas but Los Angeles?

A city area size of 20 million people getting wiped out is not something to hope for.

Where do you live?

I bet there are plenty of people just as rotten where you live as anyone in LA or Detroit.

Las Vegas is every bit as bad as LA or Detroit....oh but I guess you don't want prostitutes and gamblers to die as much as movie stars??

[MathiasOfAthens]

Yeah and Chicago is a bit close and I dont want that city destroyed.

[Turtle Hammer]

I think it's very brave of America offering one of it's cities up to appease the asteroid Gods. FEMA couldn't even get water to the super bowl after Katrina!

[John I Tzimisces]

well, i suppose, the nice thing is while it is pretty scary these were detected so late, it's way more likely one of these is going to land in the middle of nowhere in siberia, or the sahara, or central australia, or wherever rather than some metropolitan area. Admittedly it's even more likely that it'll explode over the ocean and cause a tsunami or somesuch...

[MathiasOfAthens]

We want to destroy the cities not kill the people. Come on there would be ample time to evaculate everyone. Were not that cold hearted.

[Turtle Hammer]

We want to destroy the cities not kill the people. Come on there would be ample time to evaculate everyone. Were not that cold hearted.

That's not how it works at all! Spill their blood or the harvest will fail!!!