[merged] Nasty big rock coming

[kronas]

astronomers are bracing themselves for another near earth asteriod to fly past on september the 29th, rumors around the Internet have circulated that 'this would be 'the one' to strike earth but those claims have been rebuffed.


source: yahoo news

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...searththisfall

[Marge]

Thanks for this Kronas, interesting reading but I didn't understand most of it

[Xaccers]

Big rock, coming close, will miss, nothing to worry about.

[kronas]

Originally Posted by Debsy42

Thanks for this Kronas, interesting reading but I didn't understand most of it

let me break it down slightly just for you (wants a kiss in return) :pp

there is an asteriod called toutatis its going to come close-ish to earth, people started spreading rumors on the net about it hitting earth but it wont.

and the astronomers are telling us objects have been closer then this and we are still here

edit: damn you Xaccers

[Marge]

Thank you to you both, got that bit about big rock will miss

but it's things like this "But Toutatis remains the only non-principal-axis rotator in the solar system whose shape and spin state are well defined," Ostro said. More radar observations this year will try to further refine the spin rate and orbit"

that has got me scratching my thick head, anyone care to explain...

for you kronas

[punky]

By the sounds of it, what that mean is, as the rock is shaped like a dumbell, in orbit, it doesn't rotate in a regular pattern, like planets do.

I.E. Earth will always (or nearly always) spin in the same direction at the same speed, and crucially, around the same axis (the north/south pole) Toutasis is spining randomly whilst in orbit in different directions and doesn't have a pole that it is spinning round, it seems to keep changing.

[jamesclarke555]

http://www.space.com/scienceastronom...ay_040503.html

Where's Bruce Willis when you need him?

[Nugget]

Originally Posted by jamesclarke555

http://www.space.com/scienceastronom...ay_040503.html

Where's Bruce Willis when you need him?

Armageddon out of here

[Russ]

Perhaps we can get it to land on Llanelli? After safely evacuating all the people of course - nothing against them but that place is a MESS.

[Dave Stones]

yeh its gona miss by a million miles. it passes us every 4 years lol. cant see it being much of a big thing... thought it was funny that its described as being shaped like a dumbell though

[sir_drinks_alot]

ah what can i say we had a good run

[xaq141175]

Oh great .... Bush'n'Blair are gonna include Astronomers in the Axis'o'Evil and shutdown all the observatorys and then we'll all have to carry flat earth membership cards in our wallets.