The ATLAS observations confirmed that the asteroid was bound for impact, and that the fireball a meteor appearing brighter than the planet Venus reported in Southern Africa must have been LA.
Deflecting Incoming Asteroids with Paintballs
Tracing Asteroid Trajectories All of the steps taken in the case of LA represent standard procedure for most asteroid hunting projects. First comes the discovery, and luckily there are plenty of surveys dedicated to identifying NEOs: Once an asteroid has been discovered, scientists want to know its orbital properties as well as its size.
This information will help astronomers better classify the object — including whether or not it is a hazard.
The size of an asteroid can be tricky to determine. Knowing its distance and magnitude, astronomers used telescope observations to estimate that LA was about 2 to 5 m 6. Luckily, this is not large enough to be hazardous. In the case of LA, its small size was confirmed using infrasound — sound waves with frequencies below the threshold of human hearing. As LA burst into pieces, it created infrasound waves equivalent to the explosion of tons of TNT.
Kowalski states that this explosion was a consequence of the meteor slowing down so rapidly in the atmosphere that its back traveled faster than its front. The resulting signal was picked up by a CTBTO infrasound station in South Africa and corresponded to the expected explosion of a 2-meter 6. Because of the swift apparent motions, Kowalski was able to identify it as an asteroid and check against existing databases to confirm it as a previously unknown object.
Deflecting Incoming Asteroids with Paintballs - Universe Today
You may be more concerned with whether a meteor is going to hit your house than you are about its relative size. Fair enough — in that case, asteroid trajectory models need little more than telescopic observations to plot a path. With additional information about the observer and the time of observations, orbital parameters can be obtained and a path determined.
The more observations that scientists have, the better the model will be. First, they gathered all video footage of the fireball. Talk about risking your life for science. Thankfully, the Reserve sent its rangers on the expedition to help fend off any predators. After five days of searching in the wilderness, history was made when a BUIST student noticed the first meteorite. This is only the second time that a meteorite has been recovered from an asteroid first spotted in space.
The prized piece of LA will remain in Botswana for research and display. If you happen to be in Botswana, keep checking the ground for those space rock souvenirs. If you happen to see one, report the incident to the American Meteor Society, which tracks meteor reports for amateurs and professionals interested in asteroid and meteor astronomy. These societies scan our solar system for objects destined to pass through Earth's orbit, especially asteroids 6. Should one of these "extinction class" NEOs collide with the planet, the effects would be catastrophic. Many scientists think such an asteroid impact caused mass extinction 65 million years ago, and the Tunguska Event serves as a stern reminder of the odds.
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While the more recent 20th century impact involved a much smaller NEO and occurred in the wilds of Siberia, a mere four hours of planetary rotation would have placed the bull's-eye on densely populated St. Earth can't defy the odds forever, so the astronomers of the world watch the sky. Fortunately, should a significantly deadly Earth-bound asteroid present itself, we possess the technology to prevent the impact.
Scientists have proposed various mitigation techniques, ranging from the brutally simple to the overwhelmingly complex. All relevant tactics, however, center around deflection rather than destruction. Simply nuking an asteroid might merely scatter the debris -- turning a cosmic cannonball into cosmic buckshot. Worse yet, recent research indicates that an exploded asteroid would likely reform in two to 18 hours due to gravity [source: A rather impractical combination of these second and third options were used as the plot of the popular Bruce Willis feature film, Armageddon.
Although the cost of developing the technology needed to protect the Earth would be substantial, there would certainly be spin-off benefits.
These could eventually result in practical small-scale atomic energy sources, new propulsion systems that could make extraterrestrial mining within the solar system a possibility, and other as-yet unforeseen benefits. And finally, Incoming Asteroid!
Could we stop an asteroid on a collision course toward Earth?
Honors in English and Philosophy, with Physics and Astronomy as supporting subjects. He holds a postgraduate Diploma in Education. He has been President of the Association in Scotland to Research into Astronautics ASTRA three times and has also been Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer at various times during 47 years on the society's council; he has been on the exhibitions and publications committees since and was Assistant Curator of Airdrie Public Observatory in and again in With his wife Linda, he has launched a new organization to support newcomers to astronomy, Astronomers of the Future.
In , as Manager of the Glasgow Parks Department Astronomy Project, he designed and built the first megalithic observatory in Britain for 3, years; in he was Photo-Archivist for the Press Centre during Glasgow's year as European City of Culture; in he was Manager of the North Lanarkshire Astronomy Project, organizing nearly events including more than school visits; otherwise has been a full-time writer since About Help Blog Jobs Welcome to our new website.
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