Close call

• Autores: Nigel Henbest
• Localización: New scientist, ISSN 0262-4079, Nº. 2901, 2013, págs. 42-45
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • On 15 Feb 2013, the errant rock will skim Earth just 25,000 kilometers above their heads--that's 500 times nearer than the much-publicized asteroid Apophis came earlier this month, and even closer than Apophis will get on its much-hyped return in 2029. Asteroid 2012 DA14 will fly inside the ring of communications satellites in geosynchronous orbit but sail safely above the orbits of the International Space Station and the Hubble space telescope. From the fleeting glimpses they have had, astronomers reckon 2012 DA14 is 45 meters across--similar in size to the space projectile that exploded over the uninhabited Tunguska region of Siberia in 1908, ripping up 80 million trees across 2000 square kilometers. Here, Henbest talks about Earth's asteroid defenses.