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Thanks for the heads-up. The link you gave was an interesting press
release, primarily because, to me, its message is the antithesis of the
panic the radio message seemed to convey.
I have two follow-up questions that, admittedly, I ask out of my own
curiosity and for my own professional development. If an object of this
size were to have a trajectory that defined a collision course with the
Earth: 1) Would it actually reach the surface of the Earth (or would it
burn as it passed through the atmosphere), and 2) What kind of an impact
would it have?
Hopefully, there are people on this listserv with both the expertise to
answer these questions (of which I have no doubt), and the time to do so
(somewhat less likely).
Thanks,
Bill
Bill Watson
Education Director
Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center
Mobile, AL
(251) 208-6851
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-----Original Message-----
From: Informal Science Education Network
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Michelle Nichols
Sent: Thursday, March 18, 2004 9:48 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Close approach by NEO
ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology
Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
institutions.
************************************************************************
*****
In case some of you get calls from frantic visitors:
A recently discovered near-Earth object will make a close approach past
the Earth this afternoon.
The asteroid, provisionally designated 2004 FH, is probably about 18 -
50
meters in diameter. It will pass the Earth at about 43,000 km (~26,000
miles, or about 1/10 the distance between the Earth & the Moon) above
the
surface at about 4:08pm CST. This is a record close approach (for
objects
detected before they entered the atmosphere). It will NOT strike the
Earth.
http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news142.html
The reason I'm sending this out is, believe it or not, due to a Paul
Harvey broadcast this morning. I know he's on many radio stations
across
the country, and this morning as I was listening to WGN 720 AM in
Chicago,
he mentioned the asteroid. He wasn't very convincing, though, that the
asteroid would miss the Earth, even though it has no chance of striking
us. His quote was something to the effect of "This asteroid will miss
the
Earth...I hope. Isn't it amazing how a large asteroid impact could
bring
the whole world together right before we're all blown apart." I'm not
great with quotes, so please don't quote me exactly on this one...though
I
know the "right before we're all blown apart" portion is correct from
Mr.
Harvey.
Happy phone call & email answering to all of you!
Michelle
Michelle Nichols, Senior Educator
Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum
1300 S. Lake Shore Dr.
Chicago, IL 60605
312-322-0520
312-322-2257 (fax)
[log in to unmask]
http://www.adlerplanetarium.org
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