Asteroid zooming past Earth
Filed under: BALTIMORE , Matthew Cedrone , TU24
Map data ©2008 LeadDog Consulting, Tele Atlas - Terms of Use
MapSatelliteHybridJan 29, 2008 12:00 AM (1 day ago) by Matthew Cedrone,
The
Examiner
BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Tonight may be the closest we come in a generation
to staring down a bullet the size of a skyscraper.
A battleship-size asteroid will miss hitting Earth today by about 334,000
miles, scientists say. It is about 95,000 miles farther out than the moon.
The NASA-sponsored Catalina Sky Survey discovered the asteroid TU24 on
Oct.
11, 2007. It has been estimated to be 500 to 2,000 feet in size and
originated from an area of the solar system between Mars and Jupiter. This
is the closest an asteroid of this size has ever come to Earth, NASA
officials said. Another asteroid of this size is not expected to come near
Earth again until 2027, scientists say.
"The fact that asteroids like TU24 pass so close to the Earth is something
that we need to be aware of," said Dr. Andy Rivkin of the Johns Hopkins
Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel.
While NASA is sure an impact with the Earth is not possible, that doesn't
stop astronomers from contemplating the worst possible scenarios.

If an asteroid of this size hit Washington, the damage would be
tremendous,
Rivkin said. The crater would likely consume most of the capital and throw
debris as far as Pennsylvania.
Each year, 40 tons of space rock hit Earth, and it is estimated that more
than 2,000 Earth-crossing asteroids exist in space greater than 1
kilometer
across, according to the book "Impact Earth," by British astronomer Austen
Atkinson.
A meteor crater in Arizona is just more than half a mile in diameter,
Rivkin
said. It was created by a projectile much smaller in size than asteroid
TU24.
"They are important not only because of the potential hazard they pose to
civilization, but they also give us an opportunity to learn about the
solar
system and in coming decades and centuries will probably be a source of
resources for astronauts," Rivkin said.
The physics laboratory did not do any imaging of the asteroid, because
most
telescopes must be programmed a month in advance. It decided to rely on
the
efforts of local stargazers.
TU24 will be closest to Earth at about 3:33 a.m. Eastern Standard Time,
NASA
officials said. The asteroid will still be within viewing range tonight,
but
not without a telescope. This is because the asteroid will be 50 times
fainter than something visible to the naked eye.
The asteroid can be viewed by using a modest amateur's telescope equipped
with a least a 3-inch aperture. A dark, clear sky far away from the city
lights is preferable. The asteroid will be near the constellation Ursa
Major
tonight, NASA officials said.
mcedr...@baltimoreexaminer.comhttp://www.examiner.com/a-1187057~Asteroid_zooming_past_Earth.html