Asteroid 2005 YU55 - Due November 2011

[American Patriot]

A Close Shave In The Vastness Of Outer Space

• May 25th, 2011 12:01 pm PT

Darin Krogh




Do you like this article?


If you are tired of thinking about global warming, terrorist attacks or contracting a new deadly virus, maybe you could get out of your rut by mulling over the possibility that some large celestial body may be on a collision course with our own planet.


In the coming November, an asteroid named YU55 will be passing by Earth at a distance of just 201,000 miles, the asteroid will be the largest object ever to approach the earth so close. Astronomers are calling it “a close shave in the vastness of outer space”. The rock will pass between the Earth and the Moon. Even Bruce Willis couldn’t save us.


If a collision happens, the memory of the 4th of July Fireworks would be dimmed. Pig-Out-In-The-Park would have to be cancelled for a couple thousand years. YU55, would have an impact equivalent to 65,000 atom bombs and would leave a crater more than six miles wide and 2,000 feet deep.


Scientists say that the fatal cosmic concussion will probably come from a giant chunk of rock like YU55 – one of the many that jump from the asteroid belt under the evil influence of Jupiter – or a comet returning to our solar system. That comet would show up as a stationary but growing dot of light in the night sky. It would appear stationary because it would be coming straight at us.



Although total planetary destruction is total planetary destruction, a comet hit, rather than a meteor strike, might be the preferable finish to life as we know it.


The first advantage of a comet impact is that astronomers would be able to give us more time to prepare for extinction. You would not have time to read a thick novel, go on a diet, work a 12-step program or even play an extended game of Monopoly but you would have time for a frank hold-no-punches talk with your in-laws or to unload some bottled-up grievances to your boss.



A comet would also provide several days of spectacular visual effect with its fluffy ice and vapors streaming behind. On the other hand, a typical giant meteor would provide nothing visually remarkable until it flamed up for a few scant seconds prior to the explosion that would wipe us all out.





Another reason that we Earthlings might prefer oblivion by comet is that the meteor strike has been done before.


Scientists say that dust from a meteor-hit filled the air back in 65 million B.C. Most life on Earth was wiped out.


Scientists know this because buried in the Earth at the 65 million year depth is a layer of iridium, a non-biodegradable element that is relatively rare on Earth but a common component of meteors. Dinosaur fossils are found below that iridium layer while mammal bones are found above. If we take another big hit, our only comfort is that a life form higher than humans may evolve above our own bones.



You have probably seen the recent movies and television shows that involve blowing up one of these errant comets or meteors before they strike our Earth. Scary. Scientists are working on real scenarios. We should all send money to any scientists working on this kind of “star wars”.


Most of these scientists think that the job of blowing up these Earth wreckers is extremely complicated. We are probably not much better off than the dinosaurs. We’ll be gone but not always forgotten; after a few million years our successors (the new life forms) will dig up our bones and display them standing naked in their museums with a sign that says, “They didn’t know what hit them.”


There will probably be scary movies made about us and they are sure to make disparaging remarks about our tiny brains.


NOTE: If you want to be “in-the-know” before the Earth is obliterated, go to the Spokane Astronomical Society’s web site ( spokaneastronomical.org ). That knowledgeable group of amateurs and professionals has lots of free information and they hold “Star Parties” where they provide powerful telescopes, free to the public, so that you might get a look at the celestial threats that are currently headed our way. Don’t tell me about it.







Continue reading on Examiner.com A Close Shave In The Vastness Of Outer Space - Spokane Family | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/family-in-sp...#ixzz1NT8ZyNrM

[American Patriot]

As a scale of size of things:

The circumference of the Earth is: 360*60 = 21,600 nautical miles (1 nm = 6076 feet)

The average distance from the center of the Earth to the center of the Moon is 238,857 miles. (1 statute mile = 5280 feet)

Geosync satellites travel at about 22,000 miles above sea level.

The Space Station orbits at roughly 211 miles (nominal) above sea level....

201,000 is less than the distance to the Moon.

[Malsua]

It sure would be exciting to watch.

[American Patriot]

Big Asteroid's Approach in November Excites Astronomers


Published May 09, 2011
| Space.com

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Tweet

Arecibo Observatory/Michael Nolan
The near-Earth asteroid 2005 YU55 — on the list of potentially dangerous asteroids — was observed with the Arecibo Telescope's planetary radar on April 19, 2010, when it was about 1.5 million miles from Earth.

An [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]asteroid[/COLOR][/COLOR] the size of an aircraft carrier will come closer to Earth this autumn than our own moon does, causing scientists to hold their breath as it zooms by. But they'll be nervous with excitement, not with worry about a possible disaster.
There's no danger of an impact when the asteroid 2005 YU55 makes its close flyby Nov. 8, coming within 201,700 miles (325,000 kilometers) of Earth, scientists say.
So they're looking forward to the encounter, which could help them learn more about big space rocks.
"While near-Earth objects of this size have flown within a lunar distance in the past, we did not have the foreknowledge and technology to take advantage of the opportunity," Barbara Wilson, a scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., said in a statement. "When it flies past, it should be a great opportunity for science instruments on the ground to get a good look." [Photos: Asteroids in Deep Space]
Getting to know YU55

Asteroid 2005 YU55 is about 1,300 feet (400 meters) wide. It was discovered in December 2005 by the Spacewatch program at the University of Arizona in Tucson.
Because of the asteroid’s size and orbital characteristics, [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]astronomers[/COLOR][/COLOR] have flagged 2005 YU55 as potentially dangerous down the road. But the upcoming encounter is no cause for alarm, researchers said.
"YU55 poses no threat of an Earth collision over, at the very least, the next 100 years," said Don Yeomans, manager of NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office at JPL. "During its closest approach, its gravitational effect on the Earth will be so minuscule as to be immeasurable. It will not affect the tides or anything else." [5 Reasons to Care About Asteroids]
This round space rock has been in astronomers' cross hairs before. In April 2010, astronomers at the National Science Foundation's Arecibo [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]Observatory[/COLOR][/COLOR] in Puerto Rico generated some ghostly radar images of 2005 YU55 when the asteroid was about 1.5 million miles (2.3 million km) from Earth.
But those pictures had a resolution of just 25 feet (7.5 meters) per pixel. The November close pass should provide some sharper images.
"When 2005 YU55 returns this fall, we intend to image it at 4-meter resolution [13 feet] with our recently upgraded equipment at the Deep Space Network at Goldstone, California," said JPL radar astronomer Lance Benner. "Plus, the asteroid will be seven times closer. We're expecting some very detailed radar images."
A radar astronomy opportunity
Radar [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]astronomy[/COLOR][/COLOR] employs the world's biggest dish-shaped antennas. The antennas direct microwave signals at celestial targets that can be as far away as the moons of Saturn.
These signals bounce off the target, and the resulting "echo" helps researchers create radar images. These images can then be used to reconstruct detailed, three-dimensional models of the object.
With 4-meter-per-pixel resolution, the new views of 2005 YU55 should be pretty sharp, perhaps even showing boulders and craters, researchers said.
"We're talking about getting down to the kind of surface detail you dream of when you have a spacecraft fly by one of these targets," Benner said.
The data collected from Arecibo, Goldstone and ground-based optical and infrared telescopes also should help detail the mineral composition of the asteroid, researchers said.
"This is a C-type asteroid, and those are thought to be representative of the primordial materials from which our [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]solar [COLOR=blue !important]system[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] was formed," Wilson said. "This flyby will be an excellent opportunity to test how we study, document and quantify which asteroids would be most appropriate for a future human mission."
The capabilities of the Goldstone antenna, in California's Mojave Desert, and of Arecibo are complementary. The Arecibo radar is about 20 times more sensitive and can detect asteroids about twice as far away. But its main dish is stationary, so it can see only about a third of the sky. Goldstone is fully steerable and can see about 80 percent of the accessible sky, so it can track objects for longer periods and can image asteroids at finer spatial resolution, researchers said.
Researchers are eager to train the instruments of both facilities on 2005 YU55 in November.
"So stay tuned," Yeomans said. "This is going to be fun."



Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/...#ixzz1NTESDgAL

[American Patriot]

I'm renaming this thread with the name of the asteroid.

[American Patriot]

Oh, never mind.

[American Patriot]

Asteroid 2005 YU55 to Approach Earth on November 8, 2011

Don Yeomans, Lance Benner and Jon Giorgini
March 10, 2011

Trajectory of Asteroid 2005 YU55 - November 8-9, 2011 Click on image for animation

Near-Earth asteroid 2005 YU55 will pass within 0.85 lunar distances from the Earth on November 8, 2011. The upcoming close approach by this relatively large 400 meter-sized, C-type asteroid presents an excellent opportunity for synergistic ground-based observations including optical, near infrared and radar data. The attached animated illustration shows the Earth and moon flyby geometry for November 8th and 9th when the object will reach a visual brightness of 11th magnitude and should be easily visible to observers in the northern and southern hemispheres. The closest approach to Earth and the Moon will be respectively 0.00217 AU and 0.00160 AU on 2011 November 8 at 23:28 and November 9 at 07:13 UT.


Discovered December 28, 2005 by Robert McMillan of the Spacewatch Program near Tucson Arizona, the object has been previously observed by Mike Nolan, Ellen Howell and colleagues with the Arecibo radar on April 19-21, 2010 and shown to be a very dark, nearly spherical object 400 meters in diameter. Because of its approximate 20-hour rotation period, ideal radar observations should include tracks that are 8 hours or longer on multiple dates at Goldstone (November 3-11) and when the object enters Arecibo's observing window on November 8th.



Using the Goldstone radar operating in a relatively new "chirp" mode, the November 2011 radar opportunity could result in a shape model reconstruction with a resolution of as fine as 4 meters. Several days of high resolution imaging (about 7.5 meters) are also planned at Arecibo. As well as aiding the interpretation of the radar observations, collaborative visual and near infrared observations could define the object's rotation characteristics and provide constraints upon the nature of the object's surface roughness and mineral composition.



Since the asteroid will approach the Earth from the sunward direction, it will be a daylight object until the time of closest approach. The best time for new ground-based optical and infrared observations will be late in the day on November 8, after 21:00 hours UT from the eastern Atlantic and western Africa zone. A few hours after its close Earth approach, it will become generally accessible for optical and near-IR observations but will provide a challenging target because of its rapid motion across the sky.

Trajectory of Asteroid 2005 YU55 - November 9, 2011 Edge-on view to the ecliptic plane

Although classified as a potentially hazardous object, 2005 YU55 poses no threat of an Earth collision over at least the next 100 years. However, this will be the closest approach to date by an object this large that we know about in advance and an event of this type will not happen again until 2028 when asteroid (153814) 2001 WN5 will pass to within 0.6 lunar distances.

[American Patriot]

[American Patriot]

Radar Clicks Asteroid's Pic

Radar image of asteroid 2005 YU55. Image credit: NASA/Cornell/Arecibo
› Larger image

[American Patriot]

Asteroid 2005 YU55 To Approach Earth Nov 8 2011

Trajectory of Asteroid 2005 YU55 - November 8-9, 2011. Click here for animation

by Staff Writers
Pasadena CA (JPL) Mar 11, 2011
Near-Earth asteroid 2005 YU55 will pass within 0.85 lunar distances from the Earth on November 8, 2011. The upcoming close approach by this relatively large 400 meter-sized, C-type asteroid presents an excellent opportunity for synergistic ground-based observations including optical, near infrared and radar data. An animated illustration by JPL shows the Earth and moon flyby geometry for November 8th and 9th when the object will reach a visual brightness of 11th magnitude and should be easily visible to observers in the northern and southern hemispheres.
The closest approach to Earth and the Moon will be respectively 0.00217 AU and 0.00160 AU on 2011 November 8 at 23:28 and November 9 at 07:13 UT.
Discovered December 28, 2005 by Robert McMillan of the Spacewatch Program near Tucson Arizona, the object has been previously observed by Mike Nolan, Ellen Howell and colleagues with the Arecibo radar on April 19-21, 2010 and shown to be a very dark, nearly spherical object 400 meters in diameter.
Because of its approximate 20-hour rotation period, ideal radar observations should include tracks that are 8 hours or longer on multiple dates at Goldstone (November 3-11) and when the object enters Arecibo's observing window on November 8th.
Using the Goldstone radar operating in a relatively new "chirp" mode, the November 2011 radar opportunity could result in a shape model reconstruction with a resolution of as fine as 4 meters. Several days of high resolution imaging (about 7.5 meters) are also planned at Arecibo.
As well as aiding the interpretation of the radar observations, collaborative visual and near infrared observations could define the object's rotation characteristics and provide constraints upon the nature of the object's surface roughness and mineral composition.
Since the asteroid will approach the Earth from the sunward direction, it will be a daylight object until the time of closest approach. The best time for new ground-based optical and infrared observations will be late in the day on November 8, after 21:00 hours UT from the eastern Atlantic and western Africa zone.
A few hours after its close Earth approach, it will become generally accessible for optical and near-IR observations but will provide a challenging target because of its rapid motion across the sky.
Although classified as a potentially hazardous object, 2005 YU55 poses no threat of an Earth collision over at least the next 100 years. However, this will be the closest approach to date by an object this large that we know about in advance and an event of this type will not happen again until 2028 when asteroid (153814) 2001 WN5 will pass to within 0.6 lunar distances.
The report was prepared by Don Yeomans, Lance Benner and Jon Giorgini for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory Near-Earth Object Program.

[American Patriot]

And in the "for what it's worth" category....
http://2012mayandoomsday.com/year-20...roid-2005-yu55

The asteroid 2005 YU55

There are countless predictions that the end of the world comes to December 21, 2012. Most massive of which is that of their Mayan calendar. Interestingly, however, and time in which the approaching asteroid 2005 YU55. It is expected to hand our planet a little more than a year. After being discovered on December 28, 2005 the group SpaceWatch, over time appear even more information. Extremely little is known for both its composition and its origin. NASA as its diameter is approximately 130 meters. According NeoDys however is between 120 meters. and 280 meters. Asteroids is expected to be approached on two occasions over the next 3 years, the first of which is on April 19, 2010 and the second on November 8, 2011. All the experts predict a close pass of asteroid, but in any case and the collision. The interesting thing here is that both dates are not included in the list of dates with NASA and the risk of collision, as the earliest is 2036g. As mentioned, the asteroid twice will bring our planet, the second of which will be closer. The bad here is that the first move may affects asteroids in such a way as to shift the locus of the second such passage of - in the collision. Maybe nothing, maybe you miss, you never know. Not like we need the extra drama in an already confused world we live in, but still exists even less likely to receive any of the asteroid 2005 YU55.

[American Patriot]

Article:
Huge Asteroid to Pass Near Earth in November


Leonard David, SPACE.com Space Insider Columnist
Date: 07 April 2011 Time: 10:10 PM ET

The near-Earth asteroid 2005 YU55 — on the list of potentially dangerous asteroids — was observed with the Arecibo Telescope's planetary radar on April 19, 2010, when it was about 1.5 million miles from Earth. CREDIT: Arecibo Observatory/Michael Nolan View full size image

Mark your calendars for an impressive and upcoming flyby of an asteroid that’s one of the larger potentially perilous space rocks in the heavens – in terms of smacking the Earth in the future.
It’s the case of asteroid 2005 YU55, a round mini-world that is about 1,300 feet (400 meters) in diameter. In early November, this asteroid will approach Earth within a scant 0.85 lunar distances. [Photo of Asteroid 2005 YU55]
Due the object’s size and whisking by so close to Earth, an extensive campaign of radar, visual and infrared observations are being planned.


Asteroid 2005 YU55 was discovered by Spacewatch at the University of Arizona, Tucson’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory on Dec. 28, 2005. En route and headed our way, the cosmic wanderer is another reminder about life here on our sitting duck of a planet
Close and big
“The close Earth approach of 2005 YU55 on Nov. 8, is unusual since it is close and big. On average, one wouldn’t expect an object this big to pass this close but every 30 years,” said Don Yeomans, manager of NASA’s Near-Earth Object Program Office and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. [Photos: Asteroids in Deep Space]
Yeomans said that with new radar capabilities at Goldstone in California — part of NASA’s Deep Space Network — there is a good chance of obtaining radar imaging of 2005 YU55 down to the 5-meter resolution level. Doing so, he said, would mean obtaining higher spatial resolution of the object than that attained by recent spacecraft flyby missions.
“So we like to think of this opportunity as a close flyby mission with Earth as the spacecraft,” Yeomans told SPACE.com. “When combined with ground-based optical and near-infrared observations, the radar data should provide a fairly complete picture of one of the larger potentially hazardous asteroids,” he said.
Asteroid 2005 YU55 is a slow rotator. Because of its size and proximity to Earth, the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Mass., has designated the space rock as a “potentially hazardous asteroid.” [5 Reasons to Care About Asteroids]
Dishing it out
“We’re already preparing for the 2005 YU55 flyby,” said Lance Benner, a research scientist at JPL and a specialist on radar imaging of near-Earth objects. He said part of the plan is to observe the asteroid with radar using both the huge Arecibo dish in Puerto Rico and equipment at Goldstone.
“The asteroid will approach from the south, so Goldstone has the first chance to observe it due to its declination coverage,” Benner told SPACE.com.
To help coordinate the observing campaigns, “Radar Observations Planning” websites have been set up for this unusual occasion, Benner said.
“This flyby will be the closest by any near-Earth asteroid with an absolute magnitude this bright since 1976 and until 2028,” Benner added. “Having said that, nobody saw 2010 XC15 during its close flyby within 0.5 lunar distance in 1976,” he said, noting that this asteroid wasn’t discovered until late in 2010.
“Thus, the flyby by 2005 YU55 will be the closest actually observed by something this large, so it represents a unique opportunity,” Benner said. “In a real sense, this will provide imaging resolution comparable to or even better than a spacecraft mission flyby.”
Radar paint
Benner said that because the asteroid is zooming by Earth so very close, radar echoes will be extremely strong. One facility at Goldstone will be used to transmit and “radar paint” the object…another Goldstone dish is on tap to snag the reflected echo of radar data.
What can radar do?
Information collected by this technique, for example, can be transformed into 3-D shapes, with surface features and spin rates identified. The asteroid’s roughness and density can also be assessed. Furthermore, radar can improve the whereabouts of the object. By greatly shrinking uncertainties for newly discovered meandering NEOs, that in turn enables motion prediction for decades to centuries.
As for seeing the asteroid with small telescopes, start getting your gear ready.
Initially, the object will be too close to the sun and too faint for optical observers. But late in the day (Universal Time) on Nov. 8, the solar elongation will grow sufficiently to see it. Early on Nov. 9, the asteroid could reach about 11th magnitude for several hours before it fades as its distance rapidly increases, Benner explained.
Leonard David has been reporting on the space industry for more than five decades. He is past editor-in-chief of the National Space Society's Ad Astra and Space World magazines and has written for SPACE.com since 1999.