If You Are 90,816,000 Feet Tall Then You Had Better Duck

On February 15, 2013 asteroid DA14 will pass within 90,816,000 feet of Earth. Also known as 17,200 miles. Now that may sound like a very, very, VERY, long way away but really it is not. In fact, there are GPS satellites that fly further out from Earth than that. 

So, if you are here on Earth you need not worry, there is absolutely no chance that the asteroid will hit the Earth. NASA’s Neat Earth Object Observation Program (NEOO) has been tracking this satellite and all of it’s possible trajectories. They have determined that it definitely will not hit the Earth or the International Space Station and most likely will not even hit a satellite. 

The asteroid DA14 is about half a football field in diameter. The flyby of this asteroid is special because it is the closest ever predicted Earth approach for an object this size. The asteroid will be traveling at 17,450 miles per hour or 4.8 miles per second. That is really fast!

Those in Africa, Asia, and Australia who have a good pair of binoculars will be able to see the asteroid as it passes by the Earth. The asteroid will come up from the South Pole and then pass Australia, Asia, and Africa. To learn more about the trajectory you can view the video below or look at the image. In the picture below the geosynchronous ring is the ring on which GPS satellites rotate. It is 22,236 miles out from Earth’s equator. The positioning of satellites on this ring means that if someone on Earth observes the satellite it will appear in the same place in the sky because it rotates with the Earth.

Photo Courtesy of nasa.gov

So, my parting message to you is this: When you think about the asteroids in the sky tomorrow remember that Earth is not the only thing in this universe. Try to clear your mind and keep focused on what really matters. 

Oh! I almost forgot! Happy Valentines to all!!