An Asteroid is Coming on November 8
By rivengodwind
@rivengodwind (369)
Philippines
November 4, 2011 10:40pm CST
...though it won't hit us. (This time, at least.)
The orbit of Asteroid 2005 YU55 is predicted to intersect Earth's orbit by November 8 this year. It will come pretty close: it's path would even be closer to us than the Moon! Talk about a close call. (Movies like Armageddon and Deep Impact come to mind.)
There's no need to worry though -- NASA scientists predict that it won't affect us much when it passes. No earthquakes or tidal waves in the horizon. Whew!
7 responses
@rivengodwind (369)
• Philippines
5 Nov 11
I'm not particularly sure about how they calculate the trajectory of the asteroid, but I suppose they can predict wherever it'll be given a period of time. In this sense, I don't think it needs to be sentient (or have a brain) to follow a path -- it's just pure physics involved.
@mantis36 (4219)
• Philippines
5 Nov 11
or maybe they see it before, but kept on silence and the information that some knows are the leaked one....
do everything not to create panic....
@rivengodwind (369)
• Philippines
6 Nov 11
Whoa, now that's something to think about. I'm not too sure if it's applicable this time but there is a chance that when things go that route, it may be too late for most of us. I hope it doesn't happen. *crosses fingers*
@ElicBxn (63235)
• United States
5 Nov 11
These NEO (Near Earth Objects) are the subject of many books and movies, I'm sure we are all glad they don't really happen too often...
"When Worlds Collide" is a famous early one, but I actually liked "After Worlds Collide" better - I love the "new world" type stories
@ElicBxn (63235)
• United States
5 Nov 11
well, sort of...
"new world" stories are where the writer has to "world build" or create a whole new place with, generally, either humans settling an uninhabited place, or just a whole new environment - "Dune" by Frank Herbert is one such book, "Dragonrider" by Anne McCaffrey is another.
@rivengodwind (369)
• Philippines
5 Nov 11
Oh, right I'm familiar with those titles. They are under the science fiction genre from what I gather.
1 person likes this
@xfahctor (14118)
• Lancaster, New Hampshire
8 Nov 11
This thing would probably be be visible through a good set of binoculars for someone who was on the right side of the earth at the right time and knew where to look. it would still be a small speck but you could say you saw it. I'm an astronomy buff and I love these sort of events. I'm sure a lot of amateur astronomers will be looking to get some photos of it.
@rivengodwind (369)
• Philippines
9 Nov 11
Were you able to see it? By the time I woke up, the time for its passing has been long gone.
@arnoldream (1332)
• Philippines
5 Nov 11
dont be so sure about being safe from this asteroid, though it won't hit earth but there might be some unseen effects about this appearance and passing near earth, though i'm not superstitious about this thing but let's hope there's no evil implication or meaning about this asteroid thing.
@rivengodwind (369)
• Philippines
5 Nov 11
I hope so too. NASA said that the asteroid won't be affecting us in any way, but it wouldn't hurt to pray and hope for the best.
@nijolechu (1842)
• Canada
6 Nov 11
I always thought that tidal waves were caused by the Moon in orbit around the Earth. And earthquakes were caused by tectonic plates shifting on the Earth and not by passing asteriods or meteors. There have always been lots of tinier asteriods coming towards Earth but they always get disintegrated in the Earth's atmosphere.
@rivengodwind (369)
• Philippines
6 Nov 11
Well, you're quite correct but when people talk about asteroids, earthquakes, and tidal waves in one sentence it almost always pertains to an asteroid *impact*. There you go, something that could: (1) cause tidal waves; and (2) create massive earthquakes.
And, mind you, we're talking about an asteroid that's 400 *kilometers* across, so if this asteroid hits us (which wouldn't given its present coordinates) it *will* cause massive destruction.
I'd love to see that asteroid. 
@owlwings (43915)
• Cambridge, England
5 Nov 11
The asteroid is about 400m in diameter (about the size of an aircraft carrier and a mere speck in relation to the size of the moon, though quite a significant object in terms of what usually comes close to the Earth's orbit) and will pass Earth at about 85% of the Moon's distance. Such a small object will have no discernible effect on the tides or weather as it passes and, since it has been tracked for six years, scientists are well able to calculate its exact path.
In comparison to the body which hit Earth 65 million years ago in what is now the Yucatan peninsula and probably caused the extinction of the dinosaurs, it is also quite small. That event was due to a body which is estimated to have been at least 25 times the size of 2005 YU55 and caused a crater of about 170 km in diameter.
If a body the size of this asteroid were to hit the Earth it would, almost certainly, cause a major disaster, depending on where it hit and whether it came down on land or in the sea, but it would probably not cause anything like the damage of the Chicxulub event in Yucatan. By comparison, the Barringer crater in Arizona, which is 1,200m across was caused by the impact of a body about 50m in diameter.
@rivengodwind (369)
• Philippines
5 Nov 11
Good thing it won't hit us then eh? I can't even begin to imagine how something like this would unravel.
