There’s an asteroid headed our way! Named AT72198, it’s generating a bit of discussion on the Minor Planet mailing list. It looks like it’s going to come quite close to the Earth, with one calculation saying that it’s going to come as close as 110,000 kilometers roughly 18 hours from now. That wouldn’t be the closest one we know about — on 18 March 2004 the asteroid 2004 FH passed about 43,000 kilometers from the surface of the Earth.
These things are predicted to come this close roughly once every couple of years, so this isn’t really that amazing. Still, you heard it here first!
Slight update: the predicted orbit of AT72198 doesn’t have much uncertainty in it, as the observed positions that went into the calculations were very good, and an impact is ruled out. Don’t go buying any asteroid insurance on account of this one, okay?
Another update: AT72198 has been given the slightly easier to remember name 2005 FN in Minor Planet Electronic Circular 2005-F24. You can also watch its orbit on NASA’s orbit simulator.
#1 by Geof F. Morris on 17 March 2005 - 11:29 pm
Asteroid insurance. Heh.
#2 by andy on 18 March 2005 - 8:47 pm
Oh well, it’s a shame it couldn’t have cleaned out some orbital debris on its way past.
#3 by Brad on 21 March 2005 - 2:55 pm
Like that pesky Hubble. Would’ve cleared up that controversy once and for all.
#4 by Geof F. Morris on 22 March 2005 - 1:22 pm
:lol: