Huge Asteroid

[Lulu]

Toutatis to whiz past Earth

September 29, 2004 12:58 IST
Last Updated: September 29, 2004 13:37 IST

A mountain-sized asteroid will make its closest approach to Earth at 9:35 a.m. EDT (7.05 pm IST) Wednesday, reports NASA.
Although asteroid 4179 Toutatis will come no closer than four times the distance between the Earth and the moon, this will be the closest approach of any known asteroid of comparable size this century.

"This is the closest Toutatis will come for another 500 years, and its orbit is very well known," NASA quoted Dr Don Yeomans of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, California, manager of NASA's Near Earth Objects Program Office, as saying.

"What this fly-by provides is an opportunity to study one of our closest solar system neighbors," he said.

"While we have done radar observations on this particular asteroid before, this is the closest it has come since at least the twelfth century," said Dr Steve Ostro, a scientist at JPL. "We will use the huge dish in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, to refine our knowledge of its physical characteristics and its trajectory."

Named after an obscure Celtic and Gallic god, Toutatis, the yam-shaped space rock measures 1.92 kilometers (1.2 miles) by 2.29 kilometers (1.4 miles) by 4.6 kilometers (2.9 miles).

Toutatis has one of the strangest rotation states observed in the solar system. Instead of spinning around a single axis, as do the planets and the vast majority of asteroids, it "tumbles" somewhat like a football after a botched pass.

Its rotation is the result of two different types of motion with periods of 5.4 and 7.3 Earth days that combine in such a way that Toutatis's orientation, with respect to the solar system, never repeats.

When the asteroid flies past Earth, it will be traveling at approximately 39,600 kilometers per hour (24,550 mph).

Toutatis has not passed this close to Earth since the twelfth century, and it will not be this close again until 2562.

Toutatis was discovered in 1989.

Lulu Reviewed by Lulu on 09-29-2004. Huge Asteroid Toutatis to whiz past Earth September 29, 2004 12:58 IST Last Updated: September 29, 2004 13:37 IST A mountain-sized asteroid will make its closest approach to Earth at 9:35 a.m. EDT (7.05 pm IST) Wednesday, reports NASA. Although asteroid 4179 Toutatis will come no closer than four times the distance between the Earth and the moon, this will be the closest approach of any known asteroid of comparable size this century. "This is the closest Toutatis will come for another 500 years, Rating: 5

[Omun]

I heard about that. I was also watching somthing on the national geographics channel where they said the united states is the only county spending money on tracking astroids and coming up with ways to move them if one ever does get on a crash course with the earth. Still its only a 4 million a year program and the scientist said they only know the where abouts of 40% of the astroids that cross eaths orbital path every year. so one could hit us at any moment and we may not have even seen it coming.

[RESiNATE]

Hmmm, very interesting..

I wonder if we'll get different varieties of mushrooms now?

DON'T FORGET TO DUCK

LOL

OOPS SOrry, caps hehehe

Res...

[ermitonto]

I don't see what would be so bad about an asteroid hitting earth. If I died, oh well, I'm dead, I can't care. If I survived, I think it would be fun to live in a post-apocalyptic world.

[bigdaddy420]

Is it because I'm a stoner or does that asteroid kinda look like a giant potato. But seriously, it would suck if it hit us.

[Imotep]

It would be the end.
even if it didnt hit you on the head, some climate disaster scenarios propose that rouge states would use their nukes to defend their water, food and land from those that suddenly had none.

hot potato hot potato

[RESiNATE]

I don't see what would be so bad about an asteroid hitting earth. If I died, oh well, I'm dead, I can't care. If I survived, I think it would be fun to live in a post-apocalyptic world.

"You have a strange sense of fun..." to quote something out of a film that I cant remember the title of... what was that?....I dunno, can't remember, it'll come to me....

err..but yeah, I agree..bring on the asteroid, I say...

The government will send out leaflets to tell us what to do!

ha ha ha, those guys...

I haven't got a kitchen table, or a cupboard under the stairs...

...so I guess I'm well and truly fucked, init

BRING ON THE ASTEROID! BRING ON THE ASTEROID!
OOooooo..that's gotta hurt, don't it!

Res...

[Euphoric]

heres the video clip of the fly-by...not exactly as epic as Deep Impact. leven though nobody lieks that movie...anyway..

http://space.com/scienceastronomy/to...eo_040929.html

[peji]

Wow Thaxs ~Euphoric~ that was intersting

[RESiNATE]

"You have a strange sense of fun..." to quote something out of a film that I cant remember the title of... what was that?....I dunno, can't remember, it'll come to me....

I remember now!

It wasn't a film...cuh!, it was from a book, "A Darkness At Sethanon" by Raymond E Fiest

Yeah, I remmeeber lol

Ok, carry on...

Res..