# 2 asteroids in one day closer than the moon orbit **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 8, 2010, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-asteroids-in-one-day-closer-than-the-moon-orbit/553079 "2010-09-08T17:51:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-asteroids-in-one-day-closer-than-the-moon-orbit/553079/1 "2010-09-08T17:51:23Z")
[2010 RF12: A second asteroid will buzz the Earth today - CSMonitor.com](http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2010/0908/2010-RF12-A-second-asteroid-will-buzz-the-Earth-today) In a 24 hour period, 2 asteroids will come inside the orbit of the moon. One will be about 50,000 miles. The moon is about 250,000 miles away. These hemorrhoids are very scary and that is a harbinger of the future. We know there are asteroids out there with our name on it. It a question of when. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-asteroids-in-one-day-closer-than-the-moon-orbit/553079/2 "2010-09-08T18:02:56Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > These hemorrhoids Don’t piss them off. They could come back. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-asteroids-in-one-day-closer-than-the-moon-orbit/553079/3 "2010-09-08T18:11:14Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > These hemorrhoids are very scary and that is a harbinger of the future. We know there are asteroids out there with our name on it. It a question of when. [my emphasis, natch] Better break out the 50 megaton Preparation-H bomb then. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-asteroids-in-one-day-closer-than-the-moon-orbit/553079/4 "2010-09-08T18:29:42Z")
Missed us by _that_ much. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-asteroids-in-one-day-closer-than-the-moon-orbit/553079/5 "2010-09-08T18:33:24Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > > [@gonzomax](#): > > > > These hemorrhoids > > Don’t piss them off. They could come back. Bloody hell. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-asteroids-in-one-day-closer-than-the-moon-orbit/553079/6 "2010-09-08T18:39:28Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > Missed us by _that_ much. That’s the _second_ biggest asteroid I’ve seen today. Seriously though, they were only what 30 - 60 feet in diameter: the size of a swimming pool. Big deal. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-asteroids-in-one-day-closer-than-the-moon-orbit/553079/7 "2010-09-08T18:41:31Z")
Would still be a pain in the ass if they hit, though. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-asteroids-in-one-day-closer-than-the-moon-orbit/553079/8 "2010-09-08T18:43:07Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Seriously though, they were only what 30 - 60 feet in diameter: the size of a swimming pool. Big deal. And if they landed in your swimming pool, you’d need a lot more water to fill that hole in the ground. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-asteroids-in-one-day-closer-than-the-moon-orbit/553079/9 "2010-09-08T18:48:17Z")
> [@](#): > > It’s hard to tell, according to a Universe Today blog on the two asteroids. But author Jon Voisey speculates that "The majority of the mass for such small objects would burn up in the atmosphere with only small fragments surviving to the ground. This is very scary _why_? A much bigger one would be cause for concern. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-asteroids-in-one-day-closer-than-the-moon-orbit/553079/10 "2010-09-08T19:03:41Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > It’s hard to tell, according to a Universe Today blog on the two asteroids. But author Jon Voisey speculates that "The majority of the mass for such small objects would burn up in the atmosphere with only small fragments surviving to the ground. > > This is very scary _why_? A much bigger one would be cause for concern. It depends on the total mass and speed (= energy) of the asteroid. Pieces do not have to hit the ground for the impact with the atmosphere to have a large negative impact. An air burst of an object can [make quite a boom](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event) ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-asteroids-in-one-day-closer-than-the-moon-orbit/553079/11 "2010-09-08T19:09:01Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > It’s hard to tell, according to a Universe Today blog on the two asteroids. But author Jon Voisey speculates that "The majority of the mass for such small objects would burn up in the atmosphere with only small fragments surviving to the ground. > > This is very scary _why_? A much bigger one would be cause for concern. It is a reminder of how defenseless we are for a celestial object that will pound us some day. It is not that these ones will get us, but that a big brother is out there circling its target. Closer it comes, step by step, inch by inch ,then. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-asteroids-in-one-day-closer-than-the-moon-orbit/553079/12 "2010-09-08T19:14:09Z")
Yes, if one landed in the middle of Central Park West and 59th, it would ruin a whole lotta days for a whole lotta New Yorkers, but the odds of that, even assuming it hits, are infinitesimal. There’s much more water than land on the Earth, and much more uninhabited land than inhabited land. Hitting within a mile of a person is very unlikely, And as the linked blog indicates, a mass 45 feet around will lose much of its mass on entry to the atmosphere. By contrast, the Tunguska Event was probably a coment, and one [probably 50-100 meters](http://web.utk.edu/~comet/papers/nature/TUNGUSKA.html) in size. So, no worries. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-asteroids-in-one-day-closer-than-the-moon-orbit/553079/13 "2010-09-08T19:26:08Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > It depends on the total mass and speed (= energy) of the asteroid. Pieces do not have to hit the ground for the impact with the atmosphere to have a large negative impact. That’s a fair point, yes. > [@gonzomax](#): > > > [@Marley23](#): > > > > This is very scary _why_? A much bigger one would be cause for concern. > > It is a reminder of how defenseless we are for a celestial object that will pound us some day. It is not that these ones will get us, but that a big brother is out there circling its target. Closer it comes, step by step, inch by inch ,then. This is no time to imitate Abbott and Costello! I’ve just learned the sun is going to burn out and engulf the earth in a measly few billion years. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-asteroids-in-one-day-closer-than-the-moon-orbit/553079/14 "2010-09-08T19:36:28Z")
I thought it was the Three Stooges? Or were they too quoting Abbott and Costello? ETA: I see it was [both](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slowly_I_Turned). And a few others. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-asteroids-in-one-day-closer-than-the-moon-orbit/553079/15 "2010-09-08T19:38:55Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > I thought it was the Three Stooges? Or were they too quoting Abbott and Costello? [It was a vaudeville staple](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slowly_I_Turned) and a lot of people did it, including The Three Stooges and Abbott and Costello. Its origins aren’t clear. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-asteroids-in-one-day-closer-than-the-moon-orbit/553079/16 "2010-09-08T20:11:15Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > > [@Leaffan](#): > > > > I thought it was the Three Stooges? Or were they too quoting Abbott and Costello? > > [It was a vaudeville staple](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slowly_I_Turned) and a lot of people did it, including The Three Stooges and Abbott and Costello. Its origins aren’t clear. So that phrase had a deep impact on the entertainment industry? ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-asteroids-in-one-day-closer-than-the-moon-orbit/553079/17 "2010-09-08T20:13:47Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > Would still be a pain in the ass if they hit, though. You guys are really piling on. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-asteroids-in-one-day-closer-than-the-moon-orbit/553079/18 "2010-09-08T20:31:44Z")
I’m hoping [Nemesis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemesis_(star)) will return in my lifetime. Totally cool. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-asteroids-in-one-day-closer-than-the-moon-orbit/553079/19 "2010-09-08T21:25:03Z")
> [@cjepson](#): > > > [@Malacandra](#): > > > > Would still be a pain in the ass if they hit, though. > > You guys are really piling on. Is there no relief from the punsters dropping in on every thread? It’s becoming something of a sore point. ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-asteroids-in-one-day-closer-than-the-moon-orbit/553079/20 "2010-09-08T21:35:53Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > We know there are asteroids out there with our name on it. It a question of when. If you want something known and potentially devastating, [Apophis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/99942_Apophis) - 350m long - is the one to worry about. [This is how close it’ll get in 2029](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Apophis_pass.svg). (That’s WAY below the orbit of the moon, and in fact below the altitude of our geosynchronous satellites). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-asteroids-in-one-day-closer-than-the-moon-orbit/553079.md?page=2)