Whew! That was close! Jan. 8 — An asteroid large enough to wipe out France hurtled past Earth at a distance of a half-million miles just days after scientists spotted it. The asteroid, dubbed 2001 YB5, came within 520,000 miles of Earth on Monday, approximately twice the distance of the moon. DOZENS OF ASTEROIDS pass close by the Earth each year, though 2001 YB5 was closer than most. On Friday, for instance, an asteroid known as 2001 UU92 will pass within 11 million miles of Earth. Asteroid 2001 YB5, estimated to be 1,000 feet (300 meters) across, was traveling about 68,000 mph (108,000 kilometers per hour) relative to the Earth when it zipped past. “It’s a fairly substantial rock. If it had hit us at that sort of speed, you would be taking out a medium-size country, France, I suppose, or Texas, or something of that order,” said Jay Tate, director of the Spaceguard Center in Wales. Astronomers with the NASA’s Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking program discovered 2001 YB5 on Dec. 26. Soon after, astronomers calculated the asteroid’s orbit and determined there was no danger it would strike Earth. Had it been on a collision course, it would have created “one of the worst disasters in human history,” said Steven Pravdo, the Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. “What could we have done about it? The answer is, not much,” Pravdo said. As astronomers discover more and more near-Earth asteroids, they seek a standardized way of alerting the public to the hazard they might pose. Among programs already in place is the Spaceguard Center’s Comet and Asteroid Information Network, which began work Jan. 1.
I guess the question is, how much time would we have to evacuate a country, and could it be done.....?
<b>Had it been on a collision course, it would have created “one of the worst disasters in human history,” said Steven Pravdo, the Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.</b> Shouldn't that have been "could have created..."??? If it landed in the middle of the Pacific Ocean (the world is 2/3's water), it is doubtful the impact would have been the same as it landing in the middle of Europe. Sounds like someone wants some more grant money.
From what I've seen and read on the subject, the damage would probably have been greater had it hit water. Most major cities are along the coast. http://www1.tpgi.com.au/users/tps-seti/spacegd7.html#define_runup
subtomic is right. megatsunami's are a major threat. They expect one soon from the Southern Pacific due to an impending landslide from volcanic activity. And entire half of a volcanic mountain is poised to fall into the sea. It will rise 200 (??) feet and hit California. And this is just a landslide. Estimates are based on studying past megatsunami's in the geological record as well as one that happened in Alaska less than 30 yrs ago.
They are also expecting one in the Atlantic: <a HREF="http://www.sciam.com/news/090401/1.html">Scientists Predict a MegaTsunami May Devastate Eastern U.S. Coastline</A> Mango
Also, if it hits the water, more of the kenetic energy actualy gets transfered to the earth. Furthermore, evaporation of seawater would cause big weather patern changes for many years.
Ok, geeks, nice going. As for tsunamis, they are a huge problem, but so are Super Volcanoes, Super Hurricanes, The Big One (earthquakes) and others. There is a super volcano right underneath Yellowstone that, when (not if) it blows will destroy most of the US and send the earth into 3 years of cold, screwy weather. God, I love Mother Nature (and, to a lesser extent, the Discovery Channel for constantly warning me about Mother Nature).
just another reason why we need homes on the moon and mars...i would like to see this happen sometime in my life...
Right. Let's build some homes on the moon whose "atmosphere" would allow more meteors and asteroids to hit it rather than burning up on entry. Woo hoo!
on second though not a bright idea but i would still like to see it happen... same thinking goes to cato being a center in the league...lets put a guy with no hands and desire on the court and let him get bombarded by other players...still fun to watch.
