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Subscribe to RSSLow-resolution imagery from NASA's Goldstone radar dish shows asteroid 2012 DA14 flying away on Feb. 15-16.
A pixelated profile from NASA's Goldstone radar dish makes the passing asteroid 2012 DA14 look a bit like an out-of-control Viper space fighter from "Battlestar Galactica." But the real-life asteroid is almost five times as big, and might well pack a bigger wallop if it ever hit our planet.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Tuesday released a movie combining 73 radar images of 2012 DA14, captured over the course of eight hours on the night of Feb. 15-16. The image resolution is 13 feet (4 meters) per pixel.
In a news release, NASA said the images show the roughly 130-foot-long (40-meter-long) asteroid moving away from us, at a distance ranging from 74,000 miles to 195,000 miles (120,000 to 314,000 kilometers). These readings were made just hours after the time of closest approach, when the asteroid came within 17,200 miles (27,680 kilometers) of our planet.
2012 DA14's close encounter on Feb. 15 was eclipsed by the nuclear-scale impact of a meteor over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk earlier in the day — a widely witnessed event that caused more than 1,200 injuries and did an estimated $33 million in damage. NASA said the asteroid behind Russia's meteoric display was about a third the size of 2012 DA14.
If 2012 DA14 had hit instead, the damage would have been much, much worse. Experts have compared the bigger space rock to the object that blew up over a Siberian forest in 1908, knocking down millions of trees over an 820-square-mile area. As it is, the Russian meteor rates as the biggest observed cosmic impact since Siberia's Tunguska event.
JPL's radar observations, which continue through Wednesday, are aimed at fine-tuning the calculations of 2012 DA14's future orbit by getting a better fix on its size, shape, rotation, surface features and surface roughness. For what it's worth, the asteroid's estimated length of 40 meters along its long axis is between four and five times the length of the Colonial Viper spacecraft that buzzed the Cylons in the "Battlestar Galactica" TV series.
The asteroid's path was perturbed by Earth's gravitational field in such a way that it won't come as close in the foreseeable future. However, a better understanding of its orbit and its composition could help scientists prepare for encounters with other asteroids — and figure out the best way to divert potentially threatening near-Earth objects.
The radar observation campaign is led by JPL's Lance Benner and Marina Brozovic.
Here are a more views of 2012 DA14 from other observers:
An international team led by MIT's Nicholas Moskovitz observed asteroid 2012 DA14 with a number of telescopes, including the 2.1-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. This animated image shows the asteroid as it was leaving Earth's vicinity. Check out the National Optical Astronomy Observatory's news release for more information. If you missed seeing the animation, click here for a refreshed view.
2012 DA14 - 2013 Feb. 15 from 20h01 to 20h16 UTC from Francois Colas on Vimeo. The asteroid can be seen moving from lower right to upper left.
2012 DA14 from Alessandro Della Bella on Vimeo. Go full-screen HD for best results.
Asteroid 2012 DA 14 from Daniel Lopez on Vimeo.
Night Wanderers from Colin Legg on Vimeo. Asteroid 2012 DA14 is a bright speck on the left side of the frame, moving from top to bottom. But the video also shows a bright meteor blazing across the sky and leaving a debris train. Watch this video at full-screen HD. (Hat tip to Bad Astronomy's Phil Plait.)
More about the asteroid:
- Watch a passing asteroid fade out
- How it rates among asteroid hits and misses
- Earth kicks asteroid into safer orbit
- NBCNews.com's asteroid archive
Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.
This story was originally published on Tue Feb 19, 2013 5:24 PM EST
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About 13,000 years ago it is apparent that an area including Chicago and Northern Washington harbored man and the woolly mammoth and it is apparent that at about that time a mini ice age occurred.
Common sense tells me that although the mammoth was designed for cold climate it would not survive in today’s high arctic.
Common sense also tells me that about 13,000 years ago Chicago was much further north in relation to the Earths meandering axis.
Frozen mammoth found in the arctic still have food of the day in their stomach and that food is not capable of growing there.
So this is what happened;
About 13,000 years ago Earth took a dramatic tipping on its meandering magnetic axis that changed Earths exposure to both Sun and Moon. It was this that created our mini ice age.
You will find that about 13,000 years ago, on the other side of the world, England and area would be experiencing a tropical environment.
About 3,000 years later Earth flip flopping produced England’s mini ice age and through this time British Columbia was ice free.
There are violent forces at play. The forces of the Sun, Moon and Earth dance together giving us seasons, tides etc. The Sun recently has been stepping on toes as it glides through this dance sending our north magnetic pole whizzing away a thousand miles to wards Russia then coming home to dance around an 85km oval every 24hr.
This seemingly little dance is causing all kinds of hell for a species that thinks its the be and end all of the Universe. This Sun activity can muck around with slivers of Earth energy causing the Earth to tip, compasses to swing, radio reception, gps problems, tornado’s, tsunami, relocation of oceans and climate etc. (BUT)
The big kahuna Earths NUCLEUS is not PHASED by this UNTIL!
Our NINTH Planet third or fourth from the sun comes bar-ling around the Sun appearing to be heading right for us.
I Bruce Voigt claim that the recently discovered Asteroid 2002 AA 29 is really a Moon of (and yes I have named this Planet) OLD BRUCE.
OLD BRUCE orbits the Sun in close proximity to Earths orbit every 365 point something day’s and the Earth is slowly catching up or visa versa.
In approximately sixty five million years from now OLD BRUCE will be close enough to change (like a magnet) Earths Nucleus direction. At that very moment instant freezing takes place and because of no gravity any thing not attached drifts out into Earth orbit to be collected by the Moon. (Good real estate investment for an optimist).
These are the Three true Ice ages, one in coming two as Old Bruce eclipses Earth (the really big sleep) and three as Old Bruce again changes the Earths nucleus and nuclei direction.
So now after all that you now know what happened to DINO!
Bruce Voigt Science
PS -
The last location of the meandering north magnetic pole that I tracked down was a long way from home at 81.3 N 110.8W
I usually ASSUME!! that when SOMEBODY starts typING?? like THis!!!,,, I CAN safely STOP READING??!!
Common sense tells me not to read this long post.
The videos are awesome
I for one am certainly happy that one did a "fly by". It was "moving".
This looks nothing like Battlestar Galactica. Moreover, the "bait" isn't necessary; looked at the picture, and stopped reading ... both the article and the ads.
LOL!
No kidding. It was a pixelated blob that looked like.... well.... a pixelated blob.
Everytime I see articles like this, with brilliant pictures or movies of the heavens, I am so tempted to go buy a new telescope. Mine sort of got 'destroyed" when I went to college. Parents put it in a store room where it did not fare well.
Twenty-five plus years later, I still miss it. But living near the city lights of Dallas, i cannot just walk out the front door and get a good view like i did in small town America.
All too true...But then again, nothing says you cannot go on an excursion by transporting your telescope to an scarcely populated location and setting up a campsite to see the stars the way it was almost a hundred years ago...
When I go camping, I always transport my telescope with me just to see stuff I could never see where I live.
Yeah, but I don't get camping much these days.
Maybe if we plan a trip I'll go get one. I've never had a reflector or Dobsonian.
If you want to do it bad enough, you will find the right technical solution to meet your needs...Best to you in your future endeavors...Cheers!
All those taxpayer dollars and THAT is the best resolution we can get???
MEH.
Just kidding!
:-)
Yeah, I want some hi res stuff. It was closer than satellites, and satellites can get license plate numbers.
Those sats are in low earth orbit, not geosynchronous.
Besides, that was a radar image, not optical, and it was moving quite a bit faster than a car could ever dream of.
Tony,
But asteroids don't have license plates.
But asteroids don't have license plates...YET. Once we start to conduct surveys of near earth asteroids, it would behoove us to place solar-powered radio transponders that emit specific unique identifier beacons so we know where they are at all times. We can then watch them on a situation awareness display and accurately plot their trajectories at all times. If we see a deviation, we can start an investigation to determine WHY there was a deviation from their plotted path and see if there is a new uncharted threat to planet Earth.
Not yet, not until we find a way to TAX them.
Looks more like the Blob than a Viper.
It's the dreaded ViperBlob, if it doesn't smother you it poisons you.
Note to self, movie or book idea, The ViperBlob...alien "thing" comes to Earth and reeks havoc....
that's no small moon....it's, it's,it's voyager returning thru a wormhole, apparently it picked up a bunch of dirt and ice...and a new computer looking for it's creator....hmmm.
A species offworld wanting to observe us yet perserve the prime directive, would likely disguise it's probe, better yet, break off a peice as a warning to quit littering on the preserved planets.
hehehe...
Thanks, nice vids. Yea for radar. Let's get some more radar on space based platforms, if nothing else so we can get more nice pics.
Wouldn't they just hollow out the Moon and observe us from there?
an eti moonblind, hmmm.
thank god that thing did not land here.
a silent prayer for all those affected by any kind of rock falling from the sky and a question of the person in charge of protecting us from that- who should we look to -
Well, since you are thanking god this one did not land here, maybe you should ask him why the others have?
Only in the imagination of some dumb-@$$ reporter is that video showing anything that resembles something out of Battlestar Gallactica. Must be a REALLY slow science news day at NBC.
and I'm sure you would come out on top in a battle of the minds with Alan.....
Viper? No. Cylon Raider? Maybe.
I told you, they are not going to tell us the trajectory, it's coming next year for a hit , this is as plastic as it gets, and beware of any news that does not tell exact trajectory coordinates, let us see for ourselves, this poorly shows that these people think we're sheep people. Lets cut your funding to 3rd grade levels, fore that's the level of information your feeding us.
I guess those articles saying that the new trajectory it is on after passing Earth will keep it from ever colliding with us are just wrong huh?
Hey all, at least Alan is a geek and tries to tie in some fun stuff. Alan, if you are reading this I define a nerd as someone who doesn't realize they are a nerd but a geek embraces their nerdiness. I'm a geek, its a good thing. Really!
In my line of work we would label Alan an, "AlphaGeek" or "Martian." Those are the ones that speek almost in a different language (call it a higher language) and we need translators to dumb it down for "knuckledraggers" like me.
:-)