From: Walter Watts (wlwatts@home.com)
Date: Wed Jan 09 2002 - 11:28:03 MST
Bodie wrote:
> Two quick points about this:
> 1) This asteroid wasn't big enough to wipe out all humanity, although it
> was big. We would get more warning of a bigger rock coming our way (and
> who needs france anyway :))
> 2) With this rock we had about 2 1/2 weeks to do something about it. I
> think with a doomsday rock we would have probably double that, easily
> enough time to formulate some sort of plan
Now THAT'S some subtle humor, Bodie.
Walter
>
>
> On Tue, 8 Jan 2002, Walter Watts wrote:
>
> >
> > This thing was only discovered 12/26/01.
> >
> > 520,000 miles!
> >
> > I guess that's about all the warning we'll get
> > when the one with OUR name on it comes to visit.
> >
> > Walter
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------
> > Immense Asteroid Passes Earth
> >
> > 01/08/2002 2:06 PM EST
> >
> > An asteroid large enough to wipe out France hurtled past the Earth at a
> > distance of a half-million miles just days after scientists spotted it.
> >
> > The asteroid, dubbed 2001 YB5, came within 520,000 miles of Earth on
> > Monday, approximately twice the distance of the moon.
> >
> > Dozens of asteroids pass close by the Earth each year, though 2001 YB5
> > was closer than most. On Friday, for instance, an asteroid known as 2001
> > UU92 will pass with 11 million miles of Earth.
> >
> > Asteroid 2001 YB5, estimated to be 1,000 feet across, was traveling
> > about 68,000 mph relative to the Earth when it zipped past.
> >
> > "It's a fairly substantial rock. If it had hit us at that sort of speed,
> > you would be taking out a medium-size country, France, I suppose, or
> > Texas, or something of that order," said Jay Tate, director of the
> > Spaceguard Centre in Wales.
> >
> > Astronomers with the NASA's Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking program
> > discovered 2001 YB5 on Dec. 26. Soon after, astronomers calculated the
> > asteroid's orbit and determined there was no danger it would strike
> > Earth.
> >
> > As astronomers discover more and more near-Earth asteroids, they seek a
> > standardized way of alerting the public to the hazard they might pose.
> > Among programs already in place is the Spaceguard Centre's Comet and
> > Asteroid Information Network, which began work Jan. 1.
> >
> > --
> >
> > Walter Watts
> > Tulsa Network Solutions, Inc.
> >
-- Walter Watts Tulsa Network Solutions, Inc.
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