check out the space news in whats visible to the naked eye in the latter part of the month, May, and in June, 2007 .
An asteroid as starrynight calls it Vesta , I ll provide a link as far as im conerened it seems ligit. I know this would be a much better thread if a link was provided so , I'll be back in a mment to either edit or post.

http://skytonight.com/observing/home/7297386.html

I find this a bit haunting dont you? the whales seem to think so.my advice watch the animal and the birds to see what they are telling us, who is to say what could happen we all must remember we are not in charge of the universe. thats all im saying. so therefore it is a freaky thing going on, new or not. its all pretty close anyway. too close.

Abecrombie

I never figured to be able to see Vesta. This will be interesting.

Thankfully, though-

off to the bank getting a big loan £100000.00 wont have to pay it back till, when does this vesta arrive?

I am really not sure what the whales or other animals have to do with this.

Vesta regularly becomes a naked eye object (it was brighter in 1989) and has no doubt been doing so since time immemorial. However it is still very dim and unless you have dark skies and know where to look you won't see it (as a city dweller I have never been able to see it). For this reason Vesta was not recorded until the telescopic age. It was discovered in 1807, becoming the 4^th asteroid discovered.

Vesta orbits the sun in the main asteroid belt between Mars an Jupiter. It never comes closer to the Earth than around 172 million km (107 million miles) so there is no chance of a collision with it.

The reason that Vesta becomes naked eye is a result of size and surface. It is the second largest of the objects in the asteroid belt* at about 530 km (330 miles) in diameter (only Ceres is larger). It also has an albedo of 0.42 meaning that it reflects 42% of the light that strikes it (for comparison Earth has an albedo of 0.39 and the moon 0.07).

So to recap, Vesta poses no threat, it is along way away and is in an orbit which makes collision with the Earth impossible.

*At the same time that Pluto was down graded from planet to dwarf planet, Ceres was upgraded from asteroid to dwarf planet. Although still only the second largest object in the asteroid belt, Vesta is now, technically, the largest asteroid.

Thanks for all the info, Waspie Dwarf. When some asteroid is actually on a collision course to earth, that'll be REALLY interesting to see in the night sky.

Depending on the size of the asteroid, I'm not sure interesting is the word I would chose.

Ditto Waspy!

But what will we do if there is an asteroid threat? Does NASA not have an emergency response for such a situation?


Another question i have is : What is the closest a giant asteroid can get to Earth without it being detected? Is there an organization out there that is keeping watch or are people just hoping that someone will see it in time through their telescopes?

Not yet. The asteroid threat is slowly being taken seriously.


This depends on what you mean by giant. Objects the size of Vesta can be detected beyond the orbit of Pluto. It is highly unlikely that such an object can exists that prevents an immediate threat to mankind without having been detected already. Smaller asteroids, which are not a global threat but could destroy a city, have been known to slip by the Earth and be detected only as they retreat.

In terms of a catostrophic event we are probably at greater risk from a comet. These can appear from any direction at any time. However it is likely that such a comet would be detected while it was still many months, maybe even years before it intercepted Earth. On rare occasions large comets have remained undiscoved because they have approached from the direction of the sun.



NASA has a programme to detect at least th Asteroids by 2008, it is called the Near Earth Object Programe: Home page.

There is the Spaceguard Foundation (named after a fictional detection system from Arthur C. Clarke's novel, Rendezvous With Rama). This is an international organisation with the aim of



Spaceguard Home page

Well, for my personal 2 cents worth, I like the idea of astronauts Love and Lu's gravitational tractor.

Thank you for that information Waspie Dwarf.

Lilly, I deliberately didn't mention the gravitational tractor because I know how much you love it.

The European Space Agency is currently planing a mission called Don Quijote. The aim of this mission would be to seen two spacecraft to an asteroid. One of the spacecraft, Sancho, would observe the asteroid whist the other, Hidalgo, would impact with the asteroid. Sancho would observe how much the asteroid was deflected by the impact. This information will be useful in deflecting asteroids on a collision course with Earth. More on the Don Quijote project can be found in this post.

If all goes well, in just over a month NASA will launch a mission called Dawn. Dawn will use ion propulsion to take it to the asteroid belt. Dawn will pass Mars in March 2009, using gravity assist to speed itself up. It will enter orbit around Vesta in September 2011. In April 2015 it will restart its ion engine and move to Ceres. It will arrive there in February 2015, becoming the first mission to orbit two different celestial bodies. More on the Dawn mission can be found in this thread.


My pleasure.

Yes, I do so love this idea!



Just too cool (I've read a bit on both to these missions as well). I'm getting pretty psyched on what the next few years will bring (I just need to try and live long enough to see some of this come to fruition!)

Very interesting I think it will be a great site when the Asteroid 1997 XF11 comes into close contact with the earth in 2028.

Wait a minute, Ceres is a planet now?

No, it's a dwarf planet. That is a new designation for objects which are massive enough to be basically spherical but which are not the dominant objects in their neighbourhood. Under this designation neither Ceres or Pluto qualify as true planets as they are just one body in amongst thousands (the asteroid belt in Ceres' case and the Kuiper belt in Pluto's).

Oh, now I get it.

This may be just a rumor but on a few sites i was looking at NASA is planning on building a moonbase by 2020 capable of destroying astroids but i doubt the Americans would use it for that more like use it as a Death Star

NASA is planning on building a moon base but it has nothing to do with destroying asteroids or anything else. It will be a scientific outpost, probably close to the moon's north pole.

Yes i know it is supposed to be used for that but with laser technology on ow fast it is growing it is possible and it said it is possible to destroy astroids but that may not happen

Thanks waspie, I still beat you to the punch my friend in the topic that is. lol KIDDING , I'm trying not to cry cause now my topic is irrelavant and missunderstood just as me. but im relavant, and Im also going to impact the earth in about two seconds,

[Abecrombie passes out. ]
[Zombiedog drags Abecrombie into the water dish , Abe wakes up reads thread , and scratches head]
"Funny,....I just posted that it would be naked to the human eye and it was news to mean. Who doesnt get kinda willied from the thought of spacenews when any NEO is mentioned. I remembered the forum , read to see if it was already posted. It wasnt , that was what made me even more alluse. Waspie always is on top of the topics and he was no where to be found , and to ell you truth, I wasnt prepared for the topic to be taken in that manner, but any visibility is a good one for me , I love looking in space and at animals becuse if this done o a regular basis , you learn allot from the way they behave and the sky is the same. There would be no calandar if man wasnt able to have intellect with the universe in a way to say observe the elements and the lifeforms that we are amonst. they are the most detectable visible force umong us. when animals start acting out of there norm, its not normal. Even the moon effects the animal life. So what Im getting at is this,, in answerting what waspie didnt understand when replying to the topic with the whales, no knowing what they to do with it, ? Now is explained. It was just a mere observation I added for the board. A visible one to those who like to see the space phenomonan . News falsh for everyone who wanted to know if there wasnt a thread topic like it I wanted to post it but I made sure waspie didnt already because that would of been disrepectful. He is the mod , I felt free to post, but I think it was taken out context as a collision course. My apoligies if that was the case. I thought it was postworthy. to type it is visable to man. thank you

Abecrombie and a moment of whimperz it happens . nothing personal
WHAAAA WHAAAAAA LOL LOL

that was supposed to make you laugh. ar ar

Just a few of the problems with your argument:

1. We don't yet have lasers that can shoot down a small plane 5 miles up, how are you going to destroy an asteroid the size of a mountain millions of miles away with one? (We are talking about vastly more power than the largest hydrogen bomb).
   
   
2. Even if we did have very powerful lasers what makes you think that this would be the best way to destroy one?
   
   
3. If it is the best way to destroy one what would be the point of placing it on the moon.? Why not on a satellite, which would be cheaper or on Earth which would be cheaper still? Why not place it on a space craft so that you can take the laser close to the asteroid?
   
   
4. Why destroy the asteroid when deflecting its orbit,so it misses Earth, is easier?
   
   
5. Why would NASA (a civilian organisation) be using top secret military weapons anyway?

Animals have a greater sense of equillibrium and if the animals can predict earthquakes, they can probably predict gravitational changes. The collision with earth is not a problem, we know that, but there is no space in space. That is why everything is in its place; everything has its course of revolution. What happened on earth in 1989? The 17th of October there was the 6.9 San Francisco earthquake. Where was Vesta which was the 4th largest asteroid in the asteroid belt, the size and shape of a terrestrial planet and they want to make it a dwarf planet? It was near earth on 30th of July, 1989.
What happened 3 months ago? In March in this area there was a tornadoe that killed 7 people in a high school
It passed almost as close in 1987. What happened? May 17 - Iran-Iraq War: The USS Stark (FFG-31), while patrolling the Persian Gulf, is struck by two Exocet missiles from an Iraqi F-1 Mirage fighter, killing 37 sailors and injuring 21 other crew members. That is not a good sign! But we do have rumors of a ceasefire in Iraq. Look at what has happened not what will happen because we on this earth will feel the effects of a space fly-by months before we see it.

Greggk I have read some nonsense on this subject but you have taken it to a new level. There is not one single piece of sense in what you have written.


Sort of true. They don't so much predict earthquakes as sense (hear or feel) them before humans.


Highly unlikely. Can you provide a single piece of evidence for this bold claim? Even if they could how would you expect them to detect the tiny influence of Vesta over the far greater influences of the moon, Sun, Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Ceres, etc?


This at least makes sense. I take back my opening statement.



Oh well, it didn't last long.


Lots of things happened in 1989.



So what, there are natural disasters EVERY year. There are many earthquakes every year.


In the asteroid belt where it always is.



It is the second largest.


No it isn't. It's only 290 miles across and irregular in shape.


Unlikely... it being only 290 miles across and irregular in shape.


It was no where near Earth. It was considerably further away from Earth than the Sun and nearly 3 times further away than Mars can approach.


Again so what? As well as natural disasters many man-made disasters and wars also happen EVERY year.


What is not a good sign is that you actually believe this stuff.


Actually we don't feel it at all, not least because it doesn't do a fly by. It is worth repeating again (because you may get it eventually)...

Vesta does not fly by the Earth. Vesta does not get close to the Earth. Vesta is only visible at opposition because it is a highly reflective body. Vesta excerpts no influence over the Earth, gravitational or otherwise.

While Vesta may not hit us, there are all to many that might, and many small ones we don't yet know about. SpaceGuard is a good start, and with the landing on an asteroid by a probe, we have something close to a "targeting test". Still, we have a long ways to go (in both detecting and deflecting0 asteroids before we can protect ourselves. Let's face it: this is one of the few natural disasters that we can reasonably prevent.

i have always liked dinosaurs, but I don't want to go out like them.

Ok ok i just said what i heard on a few websites don't know if its true but FYI we do have laser technology capable of destroying a missle in the sky and we have only really done that in the past few years so in 20 or 30 who knows what we are capable of

asteroids are one of my biggest fears :'(
seeing one nearby but not on course with us..
well,thatd be okay i suppose..but still *shudder*

FYI, lasers have shot down aerial targets such as mortars and rockets but still do not have the range to shoot down an aircraft 5 miles up (which is what I said).

Some quotes from a BBC article from February this year:

My emphasis.



My emphasis.

Source: BBC News - 22^nd February 2007

Just want to throw in my proverbial 2 cents worth regarding Waspie's point #4 "Why destroy the asteroid when deflecting its orbit,so it misses Earth, is easier?". Remember, breaking the asteroid up might not be the best idea...you still have all the debris to deal with! Sort of like avoiding a cannon ball but then being assailed by a bunch of buck shot. This is why I'm so personally fond of the gravitational tractor idea.

Hmmm...interesting. I'll look into that some more.

I have the date!!!!!!!! 2019

Hi Adcox:

I don't think it's a rumor; I think it's very likely. With all the conspiracy theories out there, and malevolent agendas of some, I still think there are two things I'm sure the governments of the world don't want:

1. a nuclear war

2. a hit by a large astral object which could cause mass destruction and death

I for one believe we already have laser technology and are now capable of using this technology for multiple purposes. I think therefore, that this would be an excellent idea. I even have a sneaking suspicion asteroids may already be destroyed in this way.

About a year ago I heard a radio report, and on that report a Russian Astronomer was warning people about an impending hit from a large asteroid. This asteroid would be coming into our path soon, and he said this impact would cause mass death and destruction on Earth. He advised other scientists and astronomers to meet to discuss ways to possibly break up the asteroid before it was in our path. Well, that year passed and nothing happened --we're still here. What happened to the asteroid???

About 6 months ago I heard the news anchors say there was a large asteroid headed for the Earth and that they would discuss more about it after the commercial break. I stayed glued to the TV but heard nothing more about it. I even tuned in to the 11:00 news and heard nothing. I checked newspapers and online but there was nothing more said about it. What happened to the large asteroid???

Could these asteroids have been broken up by laser technology prior to entering close enough to earth to cause an impact or aftereffects of any debris from the asteroid(s)?

Put simply, no way.

There is no impending impact. There are no lasers with the capability of destroying an asteroid. I repeat what I said earlier, to destroy even a small asteroid would require the power of many, MANY nuclear weapons. We do not have the ability to generate that sort of power except by detonating nuclear weapons. Channelling that sort of power into a laser (or any other beam weapon) is way beyond what we are capable of.

Back in the days of Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defence Initiative (better known as star wars) one of the weapons that was researched was an x-ray laser. The problem with the x-ray laser is that it needed a hydrogen bomb to generate the power and so it could only be fired once as they were destroyed almost instantly by the nuclear explosion. That was a device designed to destroy a small re-entry vehicle only a few hundred miles away. Now think of the power need to destroy an object the size of a mountain hundreds of thousands (or even millions) of miles away.

The distance is important because light and other electromagnetic radiation (such as x-rays) obey something called the inverse square law. This means that if you double the distance the light travels the intensity that is received is only one quarter. Treble the distance and intensity is one ninth and so on. To hit the asteroid at a reasonable distance you are talking about thousands of times the distance that the x-ray laser was planned for. That means you need millions of times the power... and that is just to destroy something the size of a warhead. Factor in the fact that even a small asteroid is millions of times larger than a warhead and you are now talking in the region of billions of hydrogen bombs to power the laser. Even if a nation had access to that sort of power don't you think someone would notice a billion hydrogen bombs being detonated simultaneously?

Great. The date for what exactly?

A moon base I suppose!

Well if that's what he means then he knows something NASA dosen't. Currently their plans call for an American return to the moon no earlier than 2020 (and that assume no major problems with the Constellation programme including the Ares launchers, the Orion spacecraft and the, as yet un-named, lunar landing vehicle).

I would guess that he is talking about something to do with asteroids, but as it stands his post is a totally meaningless statement.