Asteroid that just buzzed Earth may not miss on return visit

[Eugene]

Source: CNET

Asteroid that just buzzed Earth may not miss on return visit

Asteroid 2012 TC4 doesn't have a very memorable name, but it might leave quite an impression years from now.

BY
ERIC MACK
OCTOBER 12, 2017 2:34 PM PDT

The house-sized asteroid that just passed by Earth, almost as close as many satellites in orbit, will be back -- and a future visit might lead to it taking up permanent residency here.

On Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, Asteroid 2012 TC4 safely passed by our planet at an altitude of 27,300 miles (44,000 kilometers), just a few thousand miles above the level of satellites in geosychronous orbit. That's nearly twice as close as when it passed us almost exactly five years ago, about a week after it was first discovered in October 2012.

The most recent models of the space rock's future path, which can be altered by Earth's gravity each time it makes a close pass, have ruled out the possibility that it will impact Earth when it makes another close call in 2050.

But the same can't be said for its visit in 2079.

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The odds of an impact 62 years from now are currently placed at about 1 in 750.

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Read more: https://www.cnet.com/news/asteroid-2012-tc4-earth-2079-2017/

[brush]

1. Holy crap! Are they working on doing something about it?

[Cattledog]

2. The beginning of the end?

The planet will be so eco degraded by human activity that this could be the final blow.

[lapfog_1]

4. 15m in diameter

you would not want to be within a mile or so of impact but this one isn't an ELE.

[LunaSea]

5. You'll need a much bigger asteroid..

Barringer Crater (aka Meteor Crater) in Arizona was created by a rock roughly the size of a bus. A "house-sized" rock would mean a crater a bit bigger, but not the end of everything.
Impact near a population center would be quite ugly in terms of loss of life, but the results would be fairly local.

Yes, plans are in the works for deflection of high risk bodies. Look up "gravity tractor" for the the most promising example.

[defacto7]

3. It's relatively small

It wouldn't be an extinction event. It depends on where and how it hit. It's smaller than the one that exploded over Russia a couple years ago. Worst case: it comes in at a speed and angle that allows it to get through the atmosphere and hit land. It would be like the Mt. St. Helens eruption. It's more likely to hit the ocean or uninhibited regions. But the most likely is it would explode in the atmosphere, break some windows and make a lot of noise.

[Thor_MN]

6. "uninhibited regions"

I couldn't find that on Google Maps... But I might like to visit sometime in the next 62 years..

Thanks for the smile, I needed one today.

[defacto7]

7. Haaaa... I mean lol

I meant that ..
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