[meteorite-list] Space Rock's Close Call (Asteroid 2003 SW130)

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:29:59 2004
Message-ID: <200309241531.IAA23270_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3133000.stm

Space rock's close call
By Dr David Whitehouse
BBC News
September 24, 2003

A small rock about five metres across flew past the Earth a few days ago.
Only four other such celestial bodies have come closer since monitoring
began.

The rock, designated 2003 SW130, was far too small to pose any risk. Had it
entered the Earth's atmosphere, it would have fragmented in a spectacular meteor
display.

But its detection demonstrates just how efficient astronomers are becoming at
picking up such rocks, even those that are the size of a living room.

Half of the top 10 approaches to the Earth by space rocks have been detected
in the past two years.

>From Venus to the Earth

The rock was discovered about 21 hours after its closest approach by Arianna
Glearson and Tom Gehrels observing with the Spacewatch 1.8-metre telescope in
Arizona, US.

The following night, the Klet Observatory in the Czech Republic picked it up. It was
almost obscured by the glare of Mars which was nearby in the sky.

Observations suggest that it came within about 168,000 kilometres of the Earth at
0600 GMT on 19 September.

It has an orbit that takes it from just inside the orbit of Venus to just inside the
orbit of the Earth.

Astronomers are becoming increasingly efficient at detecting small rocks moving in
the Earth's vicinity. Last year, they found 2002 XV90 and 2002 MN, which occupy
number two and three in the list of close approaches by celestial objects.

'Lots of them'

The closest known approach was 1994 XM1, which came within 112,000 km.

Of course, many large objects do strike the Earth from time to time, such as the
Tunguska impactor in 1908.

Brian Marsden, of the Minor Planet Center in the US, said: "There must be lots of
objects as tiny as 2003 SW130 that pass closer than the Moon and are missed.

"Spacewatch did a great job finding it, and the Klet Observatory in following it up.
Nice cooperation - even if the object would likely burn up high in the atmosphere if
it were to hit," he told BBC News Online.
Received on Wed 24 Sep 2003 11:31:30 AM PDT