Asteroid to Pass Extremely Close By Earth On Monday

[bananas]

Source: SPACE.com

Here's something to dwell on as you head to work next week: A small asteroid the size of a tour bus will make an extremely close pass by the Earth on Monday, but it poses no threat to the planet

The asteroid will make its closest approach at 1:14 p.m. EDT (1714 GMT) on June 27 and will pass just over 7,500 miles (12,000 kilometers) above the Earth's surface, NASA officials say. At that particular moment, the asteroid — which scientists have named 2011 MD — will be sailing high off the coast of Antarctica, almost 2,000 miles (3,218 km) south-southwest of South Africa.

Asteroid 2011 MD was discovered Wednesday (June 22) by LINEAR, a pair of robotic telescopes in New Mexico that scan the skies for near-Earth asteroids. The best estimates suggest that this asteroid is between 29 to 98 feet (9 to 30 meters) wide.

According to NASA's Near-Earth Object Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., an object of this size can be expected to come this close to Earth about every 6 years or so, on average.

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Read more: http://www.space.com/12067-asteroid-2011-md-close-earth-flyby-june-27.html

[PoliticAverse]

1. Last bus off the planet for 6 years! n/t

[Kolesar]

3. It's a hard rock tour bus...eom

[nonperson]

16. I think

http://www.firesigntheatre.com/albums/bozos1.mp3">We're all bozos on this bus

[Hubert Flottz]

2. K&R

I needed something to worry about.

[Wilms]

4. .

[Gidney N Cloyd]

8. Whew. It'll never finish the trip.

[SemperEadem]

5. there's one that going to barely miss the moon in a fly-by in November

http://www.universetoday.com/85360/take-a-look-huge-asteroid-to-fly-by-earth-in-november/

[SpiralHawk]

6. Bus-sized meteor goes rogue? WTF?

Is this the next phase of Sarah Pale Horse's Republicon Bus Tour to Delusion?

[Corruption Winz]

7. My birthday is June 27th...

I don't remember asking for a huge rock, but I'll take it.

By the way, does anyone else feel that "Asteroid 2011 MD" sounds like a syfy show about a doctor that works on aliens that came to this planet on a space rock?

I wouldn't watch it. But, I wouldn't be surprised.

[classof56]

13. Happy birthday and enjoy your gift!

Your idea for a syfy show is really dumb, so it'll probably be in production soon. Thanks for the chuckle!

Tired Old Cynic

[wordpix]

18. hahahha, good one

[IDemo]

9. Not even close

I saw the Great Daylight Meteor of 1972. It was estimated to be around the size of a bus or small house and only grazed the atmosphere for a while before exiting.

[GKirk]

10. Notice the timing...

first gay marriage passes in NY and then an asteroid heads for earth. Coincidence? I think not!

[aquart]

11. Asteroid probably looking for a wedding planner.

Who knew asteroids were gay?

[bikebloke]

12. I guess I'll have to walk around holding a frying pan over my head.

Don't want to get hit.

[greiner3]

14. So this will be the new date

For the end of the world. And then for every 6 years we will have to listen to the same crap. At least it keeps em off the streets, mostly.

[JackRiddler]

15. Stony asteroids less than 25 m would break up in Earth's atmosphere & not cause ground damage

From your link:

"Asteroid 2011 MD measures about 10 meters. Stony asteroids less than 25 m would break up in Earth's atmosphere & not cause ground damage," Asteroid Watch scientists said.

[24601]

17. Good thing it's not a comet. I remember a documentary where

earth flew through a comet's tail and it turned most people into zombies.

Well, maybe it was fiction....

[w0nderer]

22. Maybe

but a look into a Walmart or mall won't convince anyone it was fiction

they may not say "brains" as much(obvious starvation environment joke) as 'buy, BUY' but the glazed look in the eyes is the same

[Politicalboi]

19. Is that

Sarah's Bus? Maybe the aliens realized after probing her that there is no intelligent life on earth, but kept the bus.

[liberal N proud]

20. No - that's just Sarah Palin quitting her bus tour.

:rofl:

[panzerfaust]

21. UPDATE: Recalculations show it will actually strike the earth at either

about 60S 131W or around 31N 121E as there seems to be a unit conversion bug in the computational algorithm.

We hope to have this clarified soon.


Get out your red/blue glasses (or VERY DARK sunglasses if you live near the East China Sea)

[Poll_Blind]

26. Link?

PB

[w0nderer]

23. now passing earth also known as tellus

this is a bad area so please keep windows rolled up, we will not be stopping
any locals that cling onto the outside of the bus, please don't feed them

thank you

[JI7]

24. anyone know what would happen if something that size hit antarctica

[ButterflyBlood]

25. A bunch of barren land gets vaporized

If there was anything to vaporize. Something similar has already happened on the other side of the globe actually: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

27. UPDATE: First images released - cool stuff