Asteroid 4179 Toutatis is flying past Earth this week
Space Weather News for Sept. 23, 2004
http://spaceweather.com
ASTEROID FLYBY: Asteroid 4179 Toutatis is flying past Earth this week. The weirdly tumbling space rock is close enough (4 lunar distances) and bright enough (9th magnitude) to see through backyard telescopes. For the next few days it will scoot through the constellation Capricornus where amateur astronomers worldwide can find it. By Sept. 29th, when Toutatis is closest to Earth, it will be visible mainly from the southern hemisphere.
Observers there can see it passing not far from the bright star Alpha Centauri. Follow the links at spaceweather.com to sky maps and detailed ephemerides.
So if your travelling south this week...
Mountain-sized rock passes Earth
The giant Toutatis asteroid passed by the Earth on Wednesday at a distance of less than 1.6 million km.
This is roughly four times the distance from the Earth to the Moon and closer than this 4.6km-wide rock has come to us since at least the 12th century.
The timing of closest approach was 1335GMT. Toutatis is one of the best studied asteroids in the Solar System.
More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3700754.stm
MIT boffins plan for asteroidal doom
Researchers at MIT say they know what the near-Earth asteroid Apophis is made of, information that could be vital if we need to divert or pulverise the space-rock in 2036.
By analysing its spectrum and comparing it with meteorites that have already landed on Earth, the team has "nailed" its composition, says Richard Binzel, professor of planetary sciences in MIT's Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS).
More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/10/15/mit_asteroid/
Triple Asteroid Found Near Earth
The first triple asteroid near Earth has been discovered.
Astronomers have found plenty of double, or binary asteroids. Triples are known to exist, too (the first triple was found in 2005).
But the system called 2001 SN263 is the closest triple, at just 7 million miles (11.2 million kilometers) from Earth.
It was originally found in 2001, but new observations with the radar telescope at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico reveal it is three gravitationally bound rocks.
More: http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/080213-triple-asteroid.html
Near-Earth Asteroid Found to be Triplets
New radar observations have revealed that a near-Earth asteroid is actually three rocks.
The system, asteroid 1994 CC, was imaged by NASA's Goldstone Solar System Radar on June 12 and 14. The results were released this week.
While most asteroids roam in a belt between Mars and Jupiter, some are kicked or drawn inward and cross our orbital path around the sun. Some 15 percent of these near-Earth asteroids are binaries. Even fewer, a mere one percent, are triples.
More: http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/090807-triple-asteroid.html (http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/090807-triple-asteroid.html)
U.S. Military in Talks to Share Fireball Data from Secret Satellites
For decades, the U.S. Department of Defense has operated classified spacecraft loaded with high-tech gear to carry out a range of reconnaissance duties. But the satellites have also spotted the high-altitude explosions of natural fireballs that routinely dive into the Earth's atmosphere, and talks are under way to offer scientists access to that data.
In the past, the data on the fireballs, caused by small asteroids called bolides, was shared with the near-Earth object (NEO) science community, information deemed ideal for understanding the size of small NEOs and the hazard they pose.
More: Bolides (http://www.space.com/news/military-satellites-fireball-data-talks-101210.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+spaceheadlines+(SPACE.com+Headline+Feed))
Near-Earth Asteroid 2012 DA14 to Miss Earth on February 15, 2013
Discovered by the LaSagra observatory in southern Spain, the small asteroid 2012 DA14 will pass within about 3.5 Earth radii of the Earth's surface on February 15, 2013. Although its size is not well determined, this near-Earth asteroid is thought to be about 45 meters in diameter. Asteroid 2012 DA14 will pass inside the geosynchronous satellite ring, located about 35,800 km above the equator. Its orbit about the sun can bring it no closer to the Earth's surface than 3.2 Earth radii on February 15, 2013.
More: http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news174.html
NASA Radar Images Asteroid 2007 PA8
Scientists working with NASA's 230-foot-wide (70-meter) Deep Space Network antenna at Goldstone, Calif., have obtained several radar images depicting near-Earth asteroid 2007 PA8. The images were generated from data collected at Goldstone on Oct. 28, 29 and 30, 2012. The asteroid's distance from Earth on Oct. 28 was 6.5 million miles (10 million kilometers). The asteroid's distance to Earth was 5.6 million miles (9 million kilometers) on Oct. 30. The perspective in the images is analogous to seeing the asteroid from above its north pole. Each of the three images is shown at the same scale.
The radar images of asteroid 2007 PA8 indicate that it is an elongated, irregularly shaped object approximately one mile (1.6 kilometers) wide, with ridges and perhaps craters. The data also indicate that 2007 PA8 rotates very slowly, roughly once every three to four days.
More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2012-350
Asteroid Toutatis Slowly Tumbles by Earth
Scientists working with NASA's 230-foot-wide (70-meter) Deep Space Network antenna at Goldstone, Calif., have generated a series of radar data images of a three-mile-long (4.8-kilometer) asteroid that made its closest approach to Earth on Dec. 12, 2012.
The images that make up the movie clip were generated with data taken on Dec. 12 and 13, 2012. On Dec. 12, the day of its closest approach to Earth, Toutatis was about 18 lunar distances, 4.3 million miles (6.9 million kilometers) from Earth. On Dec. 13, the asteroid was about 4.4 million miles (7 million kilometers), or about 18.2 lunar distances.
More, including movie link: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2012-397
Record Setting Asteroid Flyby
Talk about a close shave. On Feb. 15th an asteroid about half the size of a football field will fly past Earth only 17,200 miles above our planet's surface. There's no danger of a collision, but the space rock, designated 2012 DA14, has NASA's attention.
"This is a record-setting close approach," says Don Yeomans of NASA's Near Earth Object Program at JPL. "Since regular sky surveys began in the 1990s, we've never seen an object this big get so close to Earth."
More: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/28jan_2012da/
Goldstone Radar Snags Images of Asteroid 2013 ET
A sequence of radar images of asteroid 2013 ET was obtained on March 10, 2013, by NASA scientists using the 230-foot (70-meter) Deep Space Network antenna at Goldstone, Calif., when the asteroid was about 693,000 miles (1.1 million kilometers) from Earth, which is 2.9 lunar distances.
The radar imagery suggests the irregularly shaped object is at least 130 feet (40 meters) wide. The 18 radar images were taken over a span of 1.3 hours. During that interval, the asteroid completed only a fraction of one rotation, suggesting that it rotates once every few hours.
More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2013-101
NASA Radar Reveals Asteroid Has Its Own Moon
A sequence of radar images of asteroid 1998 QE2 was obtained on the evening of May 29, 2013, by NASA scientists using the 230-foot (70-meter) Deep Space Network antenna at Goldstone, Calif., when the asteroid was about 3.75 million miles (6 million kilometers) from Earth, which is 15.6 lunar distances.
The radar imagery revealed that 1998 QE2 is a binary asteroid. In the near-Earth population, about 16 percent of asteroids that are about 655 feet (200 meters) or larger are binary or triple systems. Radar images suggest that the main body, or primary, is approximately 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometers) in diameter and has a rotation period of less than four hours. Also revealed in the radar imagery of 1998 QE2 are several dark surface features that suggest large concavities. The preliminary estimate for the size of the asteroid's satellite, or moon, is approximately 2,000 feet (600 meters) wide.
More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2013-182
Radar Movies Highlight Asteroid 1998 QE2 and Its Moon
Scientists working with NASA's 230-foot-wide (70-meter) Deep Space Network antenna at Goldstone, Calif., have released a second, longer, more refined movie clip of asteroid 1998 QE2 and its moon. The 55 individual images used in the movie were generated from data collected at Goldstone on June 1, 2013.
Each of the individual images obtained on June 1, 2013, required about five minutes of data collection by the Goldstone radar. At the time of the observations that day, asteroid 1998 QE2 was about 3.75 million miles (6 million kilometers) from Earth. The resolution is about 125 feet (38 meters) per pixel.
With additional radar images and time for analysis, NASA scientists have been able to refine their estimates of the asteroid's size and rotation. The data indicate the main, or primary body, is approximately 1.9 miles (3 kilometers) in diameter and has a rotation period of about five hours.
More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2013-193
Radar Images of Asteroid 2005 WK4
A collage of radar images of near-Earth asteroid 2005 WK4 was generated by NASA scientists using the 230-foot (70-meter) Deep Space Network antenna at Goldstone, Calif., on Aug. 8, 2013.
The asteroid is between 660 and 980 feet (200 and 300 meters) in diameter; it has a rounded and slightly asymmetric shape. As it rotates, a number of features are evident that suggest the presence of some flat regions and a bulge near the equator.
More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2013-254
Asteroid 2013 TV135 - A Reality Check
Newly discovered asteroid 2013 TV135 made a close approach to Earth on Sept. 16 when it came within about 4.2 million miles (6.7 million kilometers). The asteroid is initially estimated to be about 1,300 feet (400 meters) in size and its orbit carries it as far out as about three quarters of the distance to Jupiter's orbit and as close to the sun as the Earth's orbit. It was discovered on Oct. 8, 2013, by astronomers working at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in the Ukraine. As of Oct. 14, asteroid 2013 TV135 is one of 10,332 Near-Earth objects that have been discovered.
With only a week of observations for an orbital period that spans almost 4 years its future orbital path is still quite uncertain, but this asteroid could be back in the Earth's neighborhood in 2032. However, the Near-Earth Object Program Office states the probability this asteroid could then impact Earth is only 1-in 63,000. The object should be easily observable in the coming months and once additional observations are provided to the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge Massachusetts, the initial orbit calculations will be improved and the most likely result will be a dramatic reduction, or complete elimination, of any risk of Earth impact.
More: http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news180.html
Surprising Recent Discoveries of Three Large Near-Earth Objects
Two surprisingly large Near-Earth Asteroids have been discovered in just the last week or so, as well as a third moderately large asteroid which surprisingly has also gone undetected until now, even though it can pass close enough to the Earth to be classified as "potentially hazardous". Not since 1983 has any near-Earth asteroid been found as large as the approximately 20-kilometer (12-mile) size of the two new large ones. In fact, there are only three other known near-Earth asteroids that are of comparable size or larger than the two new large ones.
It is important to note that none of these three new large near-Earth asteroids can come close enough to the Earth to represent a near-term threat to our planet.
More: http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news181.html
The previous story's been updated thus:
Near-Earth Object 2013 US10 Turns Out to Be a Long-Period Comet
While initial reports from the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge MA categorized object 2013 US10 as a very large near-Earth asteroid, new observations now indicate that it is, in fact, a long period comet, and it is now designated C/2013 US10 (Catalina). The comet was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey near Tucson AZ on October 31, 2013 and linked to earlier pre-discovery Catalina observations made on September 12. The initial orbit suggested this object is a large, short period, near-Earth asteroid, as reported here yesterday. An updated orbit, issued today by the Minor Planet Center removed the September 12th observations that belong to another object and include earlier pre-discovery August and September observations made by the Catalina Sky Survey, the ISON-HD observatory in Russia and Hawaii's Pan-STARRS group. The new orbit indicates that this object is in a long-period, near parabolic orbit about the sun. Furthermore, observations made last night at the Canada-France-Hawaii telescope indicate the object is showing modest cometary activity, which means that yesterday's rough estimate for the object's size (about 20 kilometers or 12 miles) must now be completely revised. A new size estimate is not yet available, but it could very well be much smaller than yesterday's estimate.
Radar Images of near-Earth Asteroid 2006 DP14
A collage of radar images of near-Earth asteroid 2006 DP14 was generated by NASA scientists using the 230-foot (70-meter) Deep Space Network antenna at Goldstone, Calif., on the night of Feb. 11, 2014.
Delay-Doppler radar imaging revealed that the asteroid is about 1,300 feet (400 meters) long, 660 feet (200 meters) wide, and shaped somewhat like a big peanut. The asteroid's period of rotation is about six hours. The asteroid is of a type known as a "contact binary" because it has two large lobes on either end that appear to be in contact. Previous radar data from Goldstone and the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico has shown that at least 10 percent of near-Earth asteroids larger than about 650 feet (200 meters) have contact binary shapes like that of 2006 DP14. The data were obtained over an interval of 2.5 hours as the asteroid completed about half a revolution. The resolution is about 60 feet (19 meters) per pixel.
More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2014-060
Asteroid To Fly Between Earth And Moon 9pm GMT 5-2-14
(http://media.skynews.com/media/images/generated/sky-news/content/StaticFile/jpg/2012/Apr/Week4/5153/default/v1/16214760-522x293.jpg)
Scientists say a 30m-wide (100ft) asteroid will pass between the moon and Earth later, providing spectacular views for anyone with a good telescope.
The space rock called 2014 DX110 is the length of three double-decker buses and will come within 214,745 miles (346,599km) of the planet at around 9pm UK time.
It will be moving at 33,000mph (53,108kph).
Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has been monitoring its flight and classifies it as one of a number of Apollo-class asteroids, which cross the Earth's orbit.
The Chelyabinsk asteroid which exploded over the Russian region last year was also Apollo-class.
(http://media.skynews.com/media/images/generated/2014/3/5/293846/default/v1/asteroid-1-942x530.jpg)
Professor Tim O'Brien, from the University of Manchester's Jodrell Bank Observatory, said: "There is an incredibly tiny chance of 2014 DX110 getting closer to Earth but everything indicates that it's nothing to worry about.
"This asteroid was only spotted last month and we now know there are many more like it that are, as yet, undetected.
"The Chelyabinsk meteor event was a reminder of the damage these things can do so it's important to keep monitoring and looking for them.
"On a comforting note though, it's good to remember that there are many more smaller, and harmless objects, than large ones out there."
Scientists say the rock will be too faint to see with the naked eye but should be visible with a reasonably sized telescope.
Astronomers will also need to work out exactly where it will cross the night sky, so more experienced stargazers might have a better chance of spotting it.
The Virtual Telescope Project and Slooh will be sharing real-time images in a live, online event.
:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.
Quotespectacular views for anyone with a good telescope.
Hmmm ...
30m at a distance of 350,000km subtends an angle of 0.02 arcsec.
You won't see much detail.
Mark
Quotespectacular views for anyone with a good telescope.
What a dot?
hmmmmmm,
this sounds exactly like the post war we had with a certain individual who claimed to be able to photograph,
huge amounts of detail on pluto from earth.
He posted on one of the dpreview forums, claiming to show amazing details of charon and pluto.
Taken from earth with a 14" lx200 with a SINGLE 60s CCD image with no other processing.
http://www.spacenow.com.br/pluto1.html (http://www.spacenow.com.br/pluto1.html)
Well, it was explained to him that the resolution, size and distance means everything he said was pie in the sky.
And all he was processing was optical artifacts.
He was given ample chances to prove his statements with images that were taken locally, but declined.
http://www.spacenow.com.br/ (http://www.spacenow.com.br/)
have a laugh.
Heres the dp posting.
http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/52922880 (http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/52922880)
Mac.
It's expected to be a mag 15 object.
Quotespectacular views for anyone with a good telescope.
I guess some folk get really excited by mag 15 dots :)
Quote from: Les R on Mar 05, 2014, 14:02:45Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.
Hmmm...
Quote from: MarkS on Mar 05, 2014, 16:51:13I guess some folk get really excited by mag 15 dots :)
Standard media hyper-hype, I figure...
Quote from: Mac
this sounds exactly like the post war we had with a certain individual who claimed to be able to photograph,
huge amounts of detail on pluto from earth.
Thanks for posting that - I really needed a good laugh!!
That's brightened my day up :lol:
Maybe they ought to be more worried about apophos 2029 :bang:
Asteroid Will Safely Pass Closer Than Moon Wednesday
As happens about 20 times a year with current detection capabilities, a known asteroid will safely pass Earth Wednesday closer than the distance from Earth to the moon.
This asteroid, 2014 DX110, is estimated to be about 100 feet (30 meters) across. Its closest approach to Earth will be at about 217,000 miles (about 350,000 kilometers) from Earth at about 1 p.m. PST (4 p.m. EST) on March 5. The average distance between Earth and its moon is about 239,000 miles (385,000 kilometers).
More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2014-068
So - did anyone watch this "spectacular view" live on Sky News?
No but i did manage to photograph it over a period of time.
Haven had time to add the flats, darks or bias yet.
Here's a set of four.
.
.
.
.
Mac.
nearly as good as the old M1 photo. ;)
Astounding :o
Excellent work Mac :lol:
Mac as you always say, you must put down the image details.
very nice image
Mac, if you ran it through SpaceNow's HMIR you might be able to extract a lot more detail ;-)
Quote from: MarkS on Mar 06, 2014, 15:23:01
Mac, if you ran it through SpaceNow's HMIR you might be able to extract a lot more detail ;-)
Yes, a reprocess is needed :D
#Insert tongue in cheek#
Sorry Julian I forgot the most important thing, details.
.
.
.
.
Its a crop from Nikon D3, with home made fish eye,
whilst being chased through a field by cows,
f45 1/2000s iso 256000,
Here is some detail i have managed to grab using said processing.
.
as you can see, there appears to be some sort of rocky outcrop,
sorry , that's just dust on my screen.
Mac.
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Quote from: Mac
as you can see, there appears to be some sort of rocky outcrop,
Wow! A mountain on each corner! That's 3 more mountains than Pluto!
:lol: :lol:
Small Asteroid Will Pass Earth Safely on Thursday
An asteroid about 25 feet (8 meters) across will safely pass Earth at about 1:21 p.m. PST (4:21 p.m. EST) today, March 6, approaching us six times closer than the moon.
This distance, though not unusual, is closer than the Earth flyby of a larger asteroid on Wednesday afternoon, March 5.
This afternoon's flyby object, asteroid 2014 EC, was discovered on March 5 by the Catalina Sky Survey near Tucson, Ariz. Its closest-approach distance, about 38,300 miles (61,600 kilometers), is between four and five Earth-diameters away from our home planet. It will not be visible to the unaided eye.
More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2014-072
(It's like busses...)
Giant Telescopes Pair Up to Image Near-Earth Asteroid 2014 HQ124
NASA scientists using Earth-based radar have produced sharp views of a recently discovered asteroid as it slid silently past our planet. Captured on June 8, 2014, the new views of the object designated "2014 HQ124" are some of the most detailed radar images of a near-Earth asteroid ever obtained.
More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2014-186
Computing Paths to Asteroids Helps Find Future Exploration Opportunities
NASA is developing the capabilities needed for astronauts to reach Mars in the 2030s.
To test these new technologies, the agency is planning a mission to identify, capture and redirect an asteroid to a stable orbit around the moon in the 2020s, which astronauts will visit. NASA is studying candidate asteroids for the Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM). One of the systems that helps to identify such an asteroid is the Near-Earth Object Human Space Flight Accessible Targets Study (NHATS) developed and maintained at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
NHATS is an automated system that uses specialized computer algorithms to compute spacecraft trajectories for possible round-trip mission opportunities to visit a Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA). It is the first study to perform a thorough investigation of NEA accessibility for human space flight and the only automated accessibility monitoring system of its kind in the world. After two years of operation, NHATS has identified more than 1,000 NEAs that could be destinations for future robotic or human missions, enabled by future technology. In the near-term, some of them could be potential candidates for the ARM mission.
More from NASA (http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/computing-paths-to-asteroids-helps-find-future-exploration-opportunities/)
Newly Released Map Data Shows Frequency of Small Asteroid Impacts, Provides Clues on Larger Asteroid Population
It happens all the time: small asteroids impact Earth's atmosphere
Small asteroids near Earth, with sizes of only about a meter, hit the atmosphere and disintegrate with surprising frequency - around every other week, new data show.
Data gathered by U.S. government sensors and released to NASA for use by the science community reveal that these small impact events are frequent and random. A map of these small impact events - known as fireballs or bolides - recently released by NASA shows the frequency and approximate energy released by bolide events detected from 1994 through 2013. It dwarfs a data-base of small impacts based on infra-sound detections released last fall, but it does not contain all fireballs - objects less than a meter in size - that impacted the Earth during this period.
More: http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news186.html
Asteroid to Fly By Earth Safely on January 26
An asteroid, designated 2004 BL86, will safely pass about three times the distance of Earth to the moon on January 26. From its reflected brightness, astronomers estimate that the asteroid is about a third of a mile (0.5 kilometers) in size. The flyby of 2004 BL86 will be the closest by any known space rock this large until asteroid 1999 AN10 flies past Earth in 2027.
At the time of its closest approach on January 26, the asteroid will be approximately 745,000 miles (1.2 million kilometers) from Earth.
"Monday, January 26 will be the closest asteroid 2004 BL86 will get to Earth for at least the next 200 years," said Don Yeomans, who is retiring as manager of NASA's Near Earth Object Program Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, after 16 years in the position. "And while it poses no threat to Earth for the foreseeable future, it's a relatively close approach by a relatively large asteroid, so it provides us a unique opportunity to observe and learn more."
More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4441
Scientists working with NASA's 230-foot-wide (70-meter) Deep Space Network antenna at Goldstone, California, have released the first radar images of asteroid 2004 BL86. The images show the asteroid, which made its closest approach today (Jan. 26, 2015) at 8:19 a.m. PST (11:19 a.m. EST) at a distance of about 745,000 miles (1.2 million kilometers, or 3.1 times the distance from Earth to the moon), has its own small moon.
http://www.nasa.gov/jpl/asteroid-that-flew-past-earth-today-has-moon/index.html
Asteroid That Flew Past Earth Today Has Moon
Scientists working with NASA's 230-foot-wide (70-meter) Deep Space Network antenna at Goldstone, California, have released the first radar images of asteroid 2004 BL86. The images show the asteroid, which made its closest approach today (Jan. 26, 2015) at 8:19 a.m. PST (11:19 a.m. EST) at a distance of about 745,000 miles (1.2 million kilometers, or 3.1 times the distance from Earth to the moon), has its own small moon.
The 20 individual images used in the movie were generated from data collected at Goldstone on Jan. 26, 2015. They show the primary body is approximately 1,100 feet (325 meters) across and has a small moon approximately 230 feet (70 meters) across. In the near-Earth population, about 16 percent of asteroids that are about 655 feet (200 meters) or larger are a binary (the primary asteroid with a smaller asteroid moon orbiting it) or even triple systems (two moons). The resolution on the radar images is 13 feet (4 meters) per pixel.
More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4459
I find the fact this small asteroid has a moon orbiting it amazing. Mind blown.
Radar data fom JPL have been made into a movie of the asteroid and reveal it has a moon!
http://earthsky.org/space/asteroid-that-flew-past-earth-january-26-2015-has-a-moon
That was amazing!!
Earth Flyby of 'Space Peanut' Captured in New Video
NASA scientists have used two giant, Earth-based radio telescopes to bounce radar signals off a passing asteroid and produce images of the peanut-shaped body as it approached close to Earth this past weekend.
The asteroid appears to be a contact binary -- an asteroid with two lobes that are stuck together.
The images show the rotation of the asteroid, named 1999 JD6, which made its closest approach on July 24 at 9:55 p.m. PDT (12:55 a.m. EDT on July 25) at a distance of about 4.5 million miles (7.2 million kilometers, or about 19 times the distance from Earth to the moon).
More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4675
NASA Spots the 'Great Pumpkin': Halloween Asteroid a Treat for Radar Astronomers
NASA scientists are tracking the upcoming Halloween flyby of asteroid 2015 TB145 with several optical observatories and the radar capabilities of the agency's Deep Space Network at Goldstone, California. The asteroid will fly past Earth at a safe distance slightly farther than the moon's orbit on Oct. 31 at 10:05 a.m. PDT (1:05 p.m. EDT). Scientists are treating the flyby of the estimated 1,300-foot-wide (400-meter) asteroid as a science target of opportunity, allowing instruments on "spacecraft Earth" to scan it during the close pass.
Asteroid 2015 TB145 was discovered on Oct. 10, 2015, by the University of Hawaii's Pan-STARRS-1 (Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System) on Haleakala, Maui, part of the NASA-funded Near-Earth Object Observation (NEOO) Program. According to the catalog of near-Earth objects (NEOs) kept by the Minor Planet Center, this is the closest currently known approach by an object this large until asteroid 1999 AN10, at about 2,600 feet (800 meters) in size, approached at about 1 lunar distance (238,000 miles from Earth) in August 2027.
More: http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news190.html
Radar Images Provide New Details on Halloween Asteroid
The highest-resolution radar images of asteroid 2015 TB145's safe flyby of Earth have been processed. NASA scientists used giant, Earth-based radio telescopes to bounce radar signals off the asteroid as it flew past Earth on Oct. 31 at 10 a.m. PDT (1 p.m. EDT) at about 1.3 lunar distances (300,000 miles, or 480,000 kilometers) from Earth. Asteroid 2015 TB145 is spherical in shape and approximately 2,000 feet (600 meters) in diameter.
"The radar images of asteroid 2015 TB145 show portions of the surface not seen previously and reveal pronounced concavities, bright spots that might be boulders, and other complex features that could be ridges," said Lance Benner of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, who leads NASA's asteroid radar research program. "The images look distinctly different from the Arecibo radar images obtained on Oct. 30 and are probably the result of seeing the asteroid from a different perspective in its three-hour rotation period."
More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4763
If its radar then why does there appear to be stars behind the asteroid?
Is it distortion ?
Roger
It's noise, mostly.
Asteroid Resembles Dungeons and Dragons Dice
Radar images of asteroid 2017 BQ6 were obtained on Feb. 6 and 7 with NASA's 70-meter (230-foot) antenna at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex in California. They reveal an irregular, angular-appearing asteroid about 660 feet (200 meters) in size that rotates about once every three hours. The images have resolutions as fine as 12 feet (3.75 meters) per pixel.
"The radar images show relatively sharp corners, flat regions, concavities, and small bright spots that may be boulders," said Lance Benner of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, who leads the agency's asteroid radar research program. "Asteroid 2017 BQ6 reminds me of the dice used when playing Dungeons and Dragons. It is certainly more angular than most near-Earth asteroids imaged by radar."
More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6742
Tiny Asteroid Whizzes by Earth (2017 EA)
A small near-Earth asteroid less than 3 meters (10 feet) across whizzed safely past Earth today at a distance so close that it passed well inside the ring of geosynchronous satellites. Designated 2017 EA, the asteroid made its closest approach to Earth at 6:04 a.m. PST (9:04 a.m. EST / 14:04 UTC) at an altitude of only 14,500 kilometers (9000 miles) above the eastern Pacific Ocean. At its closest point, this asteroid was 20 times closer than the Moon; it then quickly moved into the daytime sky and can no longer be observed by ground-based telescopes.
More: http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news194.html
Asteroid to Fly Safely Past Earth on April 19
A relatively large near-Earth asteroid discovered nearly three years ago will fly safely past Earth on April 19 at a distance of about 1.1 million miles (1.8 million kilometers), or about 4.6 times the distance from Earth to the moon. Although there is no possibility for the asteroid to collide with our planet, this will be a very close approach for an asteroid of this size.
The asteroid, known as 2014 JO25, was discovered in May 2014 by astronomers at the Catalina Sky Survey near Tucson, Arizona -- a project of NASA's NEO Observations Program in collaboration with the University of Arizona. (An NEO is a near-Earth object). Contemporary measurements by NASA's NEOWISE mission indicate that the asteroid is roughly 2,000 feet (650 meters) in size, and that its surface is about twice as reflective as that of the moon. At this time very little else is known about the object's physical properties, even though its trajectory is well known.
More: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6807
NASA Radar Spots Relatively Large Asteroid Prior to Flyby (2014 JO25)
Radar images of asteroid 2014 JO25 were obtained in the early morning hours on Tuesday, with NASA's 70-meter (230-foot) antenna at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex in California. The images reveal a peanut-shaped asteroid that rotates about once every five hours. The images have resolutions as fine as 25 feet (7.5 meters) per pixel.
Asteroid 2014 JO25 was discovered in May 2014 by astronomers at the Catalina Sky Survey near Tucson, Arizona -- a project of NASA's Near-Earth Objects Observations Program in collaboration with the University of Arizona. The asteroid will fly safely past Earth on Wednesday at a distance of about 1.1 million miles (1.8 million kilometers), or about 4.6 times the distance from Earth to the moon. The encounter is the closest the object will have come to Earth in 400 years and will be its closest approach for at least the next 500 years.
More: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6817
See EPOD: http://epod.usra.edu/blog/2017/05/stereo-view-of-asteroid-2014-j025.html
...and APOD went with the radar last week: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170420.html
Large Asteroid 3122 Florence to Safely Pass Earth on Sept. 1
Asteroid Florence, a large near-Earth asteroid, will pass safely by Earth on Sept. 1, 2017, at a distance of about 4.4 million miles, (7.0 million kilometers, or about 18 Earth-Moon distances). Florence is among the largest near-Earth asteroids that are several miles in size; measurements from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and NEOWISE mission indicate it's about 2.7 miles (4.4 kilometers) in size.
"While many known asteroids have passed by closer to Earth than Florence will on September 1, all of those were estimated to be smaller," said Paul Chodas, manager of NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "Florence is the largest asteroid to pass by our planet this close since the NASA program to detect and track near-Earth asteroids began."
More: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6927
Radar Reveals Two Moons Orbiting Asteroid Florence
Radar images of asteroid 3122 Florence obtained at the 70-meter antenna at NASA's Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex between August 29 and September 1 have revealed that the asteroid has two small moons, and also confirmed that main asteroid Florence is about 4.5 km (2.8 miles) in size. Florence is only the third triple asteroid known in the near-Earth population out of more than 16,400 that have been discovered to date. All three near-Earth asteroid triples have been discovered with radar observations and Florence is the first seen since two moons were discovered around asteroid 1994 CC in June 2009.
The sizes of the two moons are not yet well known, but they are probably between 100 - 300 meters (300-1000 feet) across. The times required for each moon to revolve around Florence are also not yet known precisely but appear to be roughly 8 hours for the inner moon and 22 to 27 hours for the outer moon. The inner moon of the Florence system has the shortest orbital period of any of the moons of the 60 near-Earth asteroids known to have moons. In the Goldstone radar images, which have a resolution of 75 meters, the moons are only a few pixels in extent and do not reveal any detail.
More: https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news199.html