# An asteroid just missed us! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 9, 2010, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-asteroid-just-missed-us/535497 "2010-04-09T04:19:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-asteroid-just-missed-us/535497/1 "2010-04-09T04:19:48Z")
Not mundane or pointless, but I couldn’t figure out a better place to post this. I didn’t know about this until Neil DeGrasse Tyson mentioned it on _The Colbert Report_, but an asteroid “roughly as long as a tennis court” passed closer than the moon at about 10:06 pm EDT tonight. [Story here.](http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=newfound-asteroid-will-pass-by-eart-2010-04-08) It’s the [third close cal](http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/neo_ca?type=NEO&hmax=all&sort=dist&sdir=ASC&tlim=far_past&dmax=5LD&max_rows=20&action=Display+Table&show=1)l this year! Where are those oilriggers in spaceships with nuclear weapons when you need them? ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-asteroid-just-missed-us/535497/2 "2010-04-09T05:13:13Z")
Happens all the time. No big deal. See [http://www.spaceweather.com](http://www.spaceweather.com) they have a chart of close approaches at the bottom of the page, every day. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-asteroid-just-missed-us/535497/3 "2010-04-09T10:07:57Z")
> [@Cheshire\_Human](#): > > Happens all the time. No big deal. See [http://www.spaceweather.com](http://www.spaceweather.com) they have a chart of close approaches at the bottom of the page, every day. Is that supposed to make us feel better? ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-asteroid-just-missed-us/535497/4 "2010-04-09T10:09:29Z")
I thought I felt a bit of a draught. ---
**Author:** ![Ionizer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5daacb/32.png) [@Ionizer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ionizer)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-asteroid-just-missed-us/535497/5 "2010-04-09T10:57:47Z")
It can be kind of scary to be up-to-speed on what is going on ‘out there’. Especially when you stand under a night sky and see meteors now and then, and realize that one of these days…BOOM! Its just gotta happen (again). Better to just let the telescope-guys stand guard, but IMO, we could use a better set-up for detection/prevention 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-asteroid-just-missed-us/535497/6 "2010-04-09T13:21:25Z")
So, I guess I’m going to have to complete that project at work today after all… :mad: ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-asteroid-just-missed-us/535497/7 "2010-04-09T13:22:33Z")
In space no one can hear you woosh. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-asteroid-just-missed-us/535497/8 "2010-04-09T13:58:42Z")
> [@Ionizer](#): > > It can be kind of scary to be up-to-speed on what is going on ‘out there’. Especially when you stand under a night sky and see meteors now and then, and realize that one of these days…BOOM! Its just gotta happen (again). Of course, the normal “shooting star” meteors you see are only sand or gravel-size… ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-asteroid-just-missed-us/535497/9 "2010-04-09T14:19:03Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Of course, the normal “shooting star” meteors you see are only sand or gravel-size… Yeah, but get one of those in your eye and it’s no laughing matter! ---
**Author:** ![MN\_Maenad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e95f7d/32.png) [@MN\_Maenad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MN_Maenad)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-asteroid-just-missed-us/535497/10 "2010-04-09T14:59:10Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Yeah, but get one of those in your eye and it’s no laughing matter! Space’ll shoot your eye out! ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-asteroid-just-missed-us/535497/11 "2010-04-09T15:18:14Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > [Story here.](http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=newfound-asteroid-will-pass-by-eart-2010-04-08) Sounds like it would mostly just be terrifying rather than devastating (relative to some our more recent natural disasters). So just how big does one have to be before it actually hits the ground and sets off the Yellowstone volcano? ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-asteroid-just-missed-us/535497/12 "2010-04-09T15:28:23Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > So just how big does one have to be before it actually hits the ground and sets off the Yellowstone volcano? That I don’t know, and I don’t think anybody does. The number I’ve heard quoted for causing global, rather than merely local, effects (presumably ignoring scenarios like setting off supervolcanoes or being mistaken for a nuclear weapon) is 1 km in diameter. An asteroid smaller than that hitting Earth could cause devastating damage on a local scale, or tsunamis that would spread over the oceans as tsunamis do, but wouldn’t cause a global impact winter. How big an asteroid would have to be to hit the ground would depend on the composition of the asteroid. Iron meteorites the size of marbles have been found. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-asteroid-just-missed-us/535497/13 "2010-04-09T15:35:55Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > Sounds like it would mostly just be terrifying rather than devastating (relative to some our more recent natural disasters). > > So just how big does one have to be before it actually hits the ground and sets off the Yellowstone volcano? The [Impact Calculator](http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/impacteffects/) will give you typical effects for a variety of bolides impacting the planet. Ballpark, it has to be ~ a mile wide for truly nasty global effects. Of course, Tunguska was very unpleasant for those within 30 miles, and I think the latest dope on the rock that caused it was that it was around 50 meters across. Comets move a lot faster than your garden variety meteoroid, and consequently hit a lot harder. Niven and Pournelle’s “Lucifer’s Hammer” is an excellent fictional account of Earth getting walloped by a several mile across comet. (Do your best to get through the very dated sociology and author pulpit-thumping. The Hot Fudge Sundae scene, OTOH, is not to be missed) ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-asteroid-just-missed-us/535497/14 "2010-04-09T15:51:06Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > How big an asteroid would have to be to hit the ground would depend on the composition of the asteroid. Iron meteorites the size of marbles have been found. I’m not sure I follow how that means anything. Presumably, whatever the size limit, an asteroid _just_ bigger than that limit would likely shrink to something marble-sized by the time it hit the ground, whether that turned out to be a Tangerine or Texas. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-asteroid-just-missed-us/535497/15 "2010-04-09T15:56:25Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > Comets move a lot faster than your garden variety meteoroid, and consequently hit a lot harder. Niven and Pournelle’s “Lucifer’s Hammer” is an excellent fictional account of Earth getting walloped by a several mile across comet. (Do your best to get through the very dated sociology and author pulpit-thumping. The Hot Fudge Sundae scene, OTOH, is not to be missed) You can pretty much quit reading it after the part where the comet hits and Tim Hamner joins the Stronghold The good part is before that. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-asteroid-just-missed-us/535497/16 "2010-04-09T19:11:53Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Yeah, but get one of those in your eye and it’s no laughing matter! Here ya’ll go, cracking me up at work. I am such a Neil Degrasse Tyson groupie. I loved that Colbert nearly broke character on this episde. He seemed eager to show off how knowledgable he was about science. Ha. Loved that. I always get excited when I hear about near misses, too. Gives me shivers when I daydream about what it would be like if we really did get hit in a way that had a huge impact. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-asteroid-just-missed-us/535497/17 "2010-04-09T19:40:11Z")
> [@Autolycus](#): > > Is that supposed to make us feel better? Wellll, no. But it helps you get used to the danger… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-asteroid-just-missed-us/535497/18 "2010-04-09T19:48:32Z")
> [@Ionizer](#): > > Better to just let the telescope-guys stand guard, but IMO, we could use a better set-up for detection/prevention 😉 They are, and there are some very good projects running now. Google for LINEAR. There are several other projects running, too. Used to be amateurs discovered all the new comets. Now, an amateur hardly gets a chance, before the LINEAR guys get them. Now if an amateur wants to get a comet, he goes looking thru the newest LINEAR data. But he doesn’t get his name on it. The LINEAR project does. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2010, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-asteroid-just-missed-us/535497/19 "2010-04-10T01:33:10Z")
[http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/](http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/) NASA keeps you up to date on your future death. They give you size, speed and date you will die. Your tax dollars at work. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2010, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-asteroid-just-missed-us/535497/20 "2010-04-10T05:07:05Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > [http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/](http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/) NASA keeps you up to date on your future death. They give you size, speed and date you will die. Your tax dollars at work. Even better than my link. I had to bookmark this one. BTW, one of those was discovered by the LINEAR project I mentioned. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-asteroid-just-missed-us/535497.md?page=2)