Real Name: David Tewes Member Since: September 24, 2007 Last Signed In: October 09, 2008 Profile Views: 1623 Blog Views: 6160 Astronomy Day 2008 Of droughts and floods Hubble Space Telescope fails Tropics getting busy Astroimages for you desktop Hurricane season isn't over for Texas yet Ike's storm surge could have caused serious problems locally Be sure to catch the planets tonight Hurricane Ike's wild winds Ike is still approaching the coast September 07 October 07 November 07 December 07 January 08 February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 August 08 September 08 October 08 
RSS 2.0    |
|
|
Asteroid heads toward Mars
A huge chunk of rock could be taking aim on Mars this weekend as the planet makes its closet approach to Earth since 2005. The 164-foot-wide Asteroid 2007 WD5 should pass within 30,000 miles of the red planet, and there’s a 1-in-75 chance of it striking Mars about 5 a.m. Jan. 30, scientists said. While the odds are against it hitting Mars, it could create a crater more than one-half mile wide if impact occurred, according to Science@Nasa. Meanwhile, Sky & Telescope reports that observers will get a close look at Mars this month and next as it reaches opposition, or its closest point to Earth. Mars won’t appear that large in the night sky again until 2016. For a map showing the planet’s location in the night sky, click here. 8 comments from 4 users
1
posted by
ncc1701
on Jan 28, 2008 at 11:29 AM
Are we really certain whether or not some of our political leaders are Martians? I' m not just saying that because I read it in the Enquirer. I mean think about it. May be that the ones living in this particular area of the planet saw this coming a real long time ago (after all their technology is supposed to be highly superior to ours right?) So anyway, these Martian astronomers are looking up in the heavens one day, see this asteroid and look at each other and say, "Well, there goes the neighborhood!". Then they "pack their bags" (or whatever it is Martians use when traveling) and come here and assume postions of power all across the globe. Sound far fetched? Hey, look who's been living in the White House over the past seven years! It would certainly explain a lot.
posted by
dtewes
on Dec 29, 2007 at 09:09 PM
Thanks, SugarM. And I wish you a happy and prosperous new year. I've just got a feeling it's going to be a good one.
posted by
SugarMagnolia
on Dec 29, 2007 at 05:45 PM
Haven't had the chance to wish you and yours a belated Merry Christmas, but I AM in time to wish you a happy new year and joyous stargazing. The night sky of about the past few days has been amazing!
posted by
dtewes
on Dec 29, 2007 at 01:00 PM
Better the Martians than us. ;>)
posted by
woohoo
on Dec 28, 2007 at 11:36 PM
Chance of Asteroid Hit on Mars IncreasesLOS ANGELES (AP) — The chance of a football field-sized asteroid plowing into Mars next month has been increased to 4 percent, scientists said Friday after analyzing archival data. Though still a long shot, some researchers are hoping for a cosmic smash. "I think it'll be cool," said Don Yeomans, who heads the Near-Earth Object Program at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "Usually when an asteroid is headed toward Earth, I'm not rooting for an impact." The space rock, known as the nondescript 2007 WD5, was discovered in late November by the NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona. Based on the latest information available, scientists said last week there was a 1-in-75 chance the asteroid could hit Mars on Jan. 30. The odds were increased to 1-in-25 this week after a Ph.D. student pored through the archives and plotted the asteroid's motions before its official discovery. The new information allowed scientists to improve their calculations of the asteroid's orbit and flight path. Scientists will continue to monitor the asteroid to better predict the possibility of a Martian impact. Yeomans said he expects the odds to decrease with new observations gathered early next year. The likelihood of an asteroid hit usually "peaks before plummeting to zero with additional data," he said. The asteroid poses no threat to Earth and is closing in on the Red Planet at 27,900 mph. Should a collision occur, it would likely blast a half-mile-wide crater north of where the rover Opportunity has been exploring since 2004. The impact could release energy similar to the 1908 Tunguska object that exploded over remote central Siberia and wiped out 60 million trees. posted by
woohoo
on Dec 26, 2007 at 03:10 PM
Well, I believe that no one would tell us if it were hurtling toward earth and the great Armageddon was here. It would be best for all of us to know in advance but noone seems to be worried. Isn't that lovely? Perhaps after it misses Mars someone will go, "wait a minute". I edited this.... If it misses Mars, be prayed up. Maybe this isn't the great "Nibiru" (Nostradamus) or "Wormwood" (Bible). If it hits us, oh no. Things are in the works this year. Anything could happen. In retrospect, I hope it DOES hit Mars. posted by
dtewes
on Dec 26, 2007 at 11:44 AM
From what I've read, it appears the asteroid would pass between Mars and Earth, missing us. Thank goodness for that. That thing could make quite a mess.
posted by
woohoo
on Dec 26, 2007 at 11:27 AM
If the asteroid does not hit Mars, is there any probability that it could hit Earth?
1
|
