[meteorite-list] UA Scientists Discover Tiny Asteroid That Will Hit Earth Tonight (2008 TC3)

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 6 Oct 2008 18:02:28 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <200810070102.SAA12219_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

FROM: Lori Stiles (cell - 360-0574; lstiles at u.arizona.edu)

UA Scientists Discover Tiny Asteroid That Will Hit Earth Tonight
University of Arizona
October 6, 2008

University of Arizona scientists last night discovered a very small asteroid
that is on course to hit Earth tonight at about 7:45 p.m. MST in northern
Sudan.

The asteroid is too small to be hazardous. But it is the first time astronomers
have discovered an object with a nearly 100 percent chance of hitting the
Earth.

The tiny space rock is only two meters in diameter and is traveling at 12
kilometers per second, said Ed Beshore of UA's Catalina Sky Survey. "Whether it
will survive entry through Earth's atmosphere depends on its composition,"
Beshore said. "But it is sure to create a spectacular sight for those fortunate
enough to see it at night."

The asteroid is expected to release about one kiloton of energy, either in a
single shot or in a series of explosions, when it hits Earth's atmosphere. It
is on course to hit Earth's atmosphere with a grazing strike, much like a
skipping stone on water, rather than make a direct hit, Beshore said.

"It's probably important for people in that area of the world to know that this
is not anything other than a natural phenomenon," Beshore said. "We're all
watching pretty closely."

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Near Earth Object Observations Program carefully
monitors observations from surveys like Catalina as well as those from
individual observers. From this data researchers can determine orbits and the
likelihood of a collision with the Earth.

Richard Kowalski, a member of the Catalina Sky Survey team, discovered the
object with the team's 60-inch telescope on Mount Lemmon in the Santa Catalina
Mountains north of Tucson.

Amateur Italian astronomers are well positioned to see the impact and may get
pictures of it tonight, Beshore said.

Roughly one out of every 20 asteroids is iron, so this one is probably a stony
asteroid, Beshore said. Even if this asteroid is iron and reaches the ground
intact, the predicted impact area is largely uninhabited, and the danger to
individuals is small.

The Catalina Sky Survey last year broke all records for discoveries of
near-Earth objects, or NEOs. The survey found more than 450 NEOs in 2007.

SCIENCE CONTACT:
Ed Beshore, office: 520-626-4900 or cell: 520-395-5381; beshore at lpl.arizona.edu)
Received on Mon 06 Oct 2008 09:02:28 PM PDT