A couple of days ago, asteroid 2009VA whizzed by the earth, coming within 8,700 miles (~14000 km) of the earth. This is the third closest approach of a known asteroid. The space rock was 23 feet across, which is a modest size for an asteroid. In fact, objects of this size are known to strike the earth about once every 5 years. The Tugunska, Siberia impact in 1908 is said to have been caused by an object that was 100 feet across. The Tugunska event wiped out about 1200 square miles of forest.
The Catalina Sky Survey discovered asteroid 2009VA about 15 hours before it made its closest approach. The obit has been calculated by JPL's Near-Earth Object Program Office and the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, MA. Asteroid 2009VA is moving a little faster then the earth in its orbit, and is now cruising our towards the orbital path of Mars.
It will cross the orbital path of Mars well before Mars arrives. So, both Mars and the Earht have little to fear from this piece of space rock...for now.
1 comment:
Any talk of space rocks coming near the earth.... sounds like the making of a silly 90's movie with Bruce Willis...
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