Chicken Little FAIL: 2 asteroids on close pass to Earth!

[PetrusMonsFormicarum]

http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2010/sep/HQ_M10-128_Asteroids_Pass_By.html

Two asteroids will pass within the moon's distance from Earth on Wednesday, Sept. 8. NASA scientists will be available for satellite interviews Tuesday, Sept. 7, and Wednesday morning to discuss these near- Earth objects.

The Catalina Sky Survey near Tucson, Ariz., discovered both objects on Sunday, Sept. 5. The Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Mass., reviewed the observations and determined the preliminary orbits. The center's personnel concluded both objects would pass within the distance of the moon to Earth, approximately 240,000 miles. The asteroids should be visible with moderate-sized amateur telescopes.

Let's work on that "Earlier Detection Program" fellas.

[caraher]

1. I agree that should be a priority, but...

these asteroids are 20 m or less in diameter, roughly the size estimated for whatever formed Meteor Crater. Devastating locally, but probably not the kind of thing that would set off mass extinctions (unless someone mistook if for a nuke and got an itchy trigger finger).

In other words, it will always be hard to spot things this small early, but the likely effects of an impact, though potentially damaging, are not civilization-threatening.

[Fumesucker]

2. They are..

http://www.lsst.org/lsst



The LSST is a new kind of telescope. With a light-gathering power among the largest in the world, it can detect faint objects with short exposures. Its uniquely wide field of view allows it to observe large areas of the sky at once; compact and nimble, it can move quickly between images. Taking more than 800 panoramic images each night, it can cover the sky twice each week.

A powerful data system will compare new with previous images to detect changes in brightness and position. Hundreds of images of each part of the sky will be used to construct a movie of the sky. As just one example, this movie can be used to detect and track potentially hazardous asteroids - asteroids that might impact the Earth and cause significant damage.

Data from LSST will be used to create a 3D map of the Universe with unprecedented depth and detail. This map can be used to locate the mysterious dark matter and to characterize the properties of the even more mysterious dark energy. As with past technological advances that opened new windows of discovery, such a powerful system for exploring the faint and transient universe will undoubtedly serve up surprises.

Plans for sharing the data from LSST with the public are as ambitious as the telescope itself. Anyone with a computer will be able to fly through the Universe, zooming past objects a hundred million times fainter than can be observed with the unaided eye. The LSST project will provide analysis tools to enable both students and the public to participate in the process of scientific discovery. The work on the project is broken down into three main areas: The Camera, Telescope & Site, and Data Management. We invite you to learn more about the science of LSST.