posted on May, 27 2012 @ 09:46 AM
Just like the forums we have in Fragile Earth I wanted to create this thread for amateur astronomers and regular people alike to keep track of the
close meteor approaches to earth so they may view them if/when they come near Earth and the Moon.
Asteroids pass by and around us daily. You don't hear to much about it on the news but it happens every second and every day but sometimes they just
aren't big or close enough to cause alarm. However, they can be viewable through some telescopes and here is a chance for everyone to get updates on
when and how far they will be.
Where do I go to see recent/close Asteroid approaches?
You can visit
Space Weather and scroll down the page. Here you will see recently discovered and close
approaching Meteors and Asteroids. You can also install the java plugin to view the diagram of the projected path of the Asteroid.
How can I tell if they are "Near"?
You can tell by the LD which means Lunar Distances (distance from the Earth to the Moon). The smaller the number, the closer it is to earth. If it's
for example 1.1 LD it means it is just beyond the moon (I'm not sure of the exact length) and if it's 0.1 that means it will be BETWEEN the earth and
the moon.
So, let me start out by posting this recent one from Space Weather:
2012 KP24. It will pass on May 28th and will be 0.1 LD from Earth. The approximate size of this is 26 m. You can view the diagram here:
2012 KP24
I hope this was an ok thread to post and I look forward to seeing some responses.
edit on 27-5-2012 by Nakor because: (no reason given)