Holy crap!!! We’ve been buzzed!!
Yesterday, a 1500 foot asteroid passed within 17,000 miles of our planet. Then, one disintegrated over Siberia in Russia!!!! If this was during the Cold War we would be toast, or ashes; because some people thought their country was being bombed.
It is fascinating to think that while we are going about our business, the earth is going about its business. It is spinning on its access at warp speed as it goes around the sun. There is winter here, summer there; six months of nights here, then six months of days there. Wild fires here, rejuvenated earth there. Gravitational pulls resulting high tides, low tides. Rogue waves . Titanic rainy seasons here, dry spells there. Volcanic eruptions here, tsunamis there. Angry Pacific Ocean here, cliff-side dream homes down there. Wow, this is all so amazing when you take a step back and ponder. We are so insignificant.
In the midst of all this, the constellation is putting on its own show with the Hubble Telescope playing Peeping Tom.
http://hubblesite.org/gallery/album/show/
Spiral Galaxy M74 http://hubblesite.org/gallery/album/show/
Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration
Acknowledgment: R. Chandar (University of Toledo) and J. Miller (University of Michigan)
. Spitzer and Hubble Create Colorful Masterpiece
Credit: NASA, ESA, T. Megeath (University of Toledo) and M. Robberto (STScI)
Fomalhaut System
Credit: NASA, ESA, and P. Kalas (University of California, Berkeley)
A Perfect Storm of Turbulent Gases in the Omega/Swan Nebula (M17)
Credit: NASA, ESA and J. Hester (ASU)
PR
2/16/2013
I love the photos – and am amazed at the detail that can be captured from those great distances. I think the asteroid came within 17,000 miles of Earth, though. Pike’s Peak is 14,000 feet and if that asteroid came that close there would have been big trouble, I think.
You’re right. is was 17,000 miles. Thanks for the correction. Those photos are amazing, each time I head over to that web site I still can’t believe the pics that are sent back. It is even more amazing to think they had to go up there and fix it when it was first deployed.