[meteorite-list] Meteorite Girls help discover VERY close approaching NEO!

From: Richard Kowalski <kowalski_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 16 Nov 2010 15:59:52 -0700
Message-ID: <4CE30CE8.8010309_at_lpl.arizona.edu>

I doubt there is anyone on this list that does not know Lisa Marie Morrison and
Leigh Anne DelRay Cromwell.

Last night they visited me at the Catalina Sky Survey's 60" telescope on Mt.
Lemmon. Lisa Marie is writing an article about CSS for the "EZ Guide" that gets
distributed during the Tucson Gem & Mineral Shows each year Leigh Anne joined
her as her photographer. I hope you all get a chance to check it out when your
where for the shows.

While they were here they got to see how we observer and survey for NEOs. I
commented that while we can find NEOs at any time of the night, they tend to
start showing up after midnight, so I wasn't sure if they'd get to see anything
other than Main Belt Asteroids.

Within minutes of me saying that a new NEO popped up on the screen. It turns out
to be a tiny rock, only about 15 feet in diameter, but it makes a special
showing today.

Around 3:45 Universal time (or GMT or Zulu time if you like) this Near Earth
Asteroid, 2010 WA, will make an extraordinary close approach to the Earth,
passing a mere 20,000 miles about the surface. That's closer than Geosynchronous
orbiting satellites!

Nice catch ladies!

-- 
Richard Kowalski
Catalina Sky Survey
Lunar and Planetary Laboratory
University of Arizona
http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/css/

Received on Tue 16 Nov 2010 05:59:52 PM PST