Meteorites: Close approaches to Earth

[The Cosmos]

http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/ca/

This is on a monthly basis.

 

[Claymore]

Yeah, but we know from the movies than all meteorites that hit earth will hit the USA...

 

[xrapidx]

Yeah, but we know from the movies than all meteorites that hit earth will hit the USA...

Isn't that how it should be?

 

[Fudzy]

Yeah, but we know from the movies than all meteorites that hit earth will hit the USA...

Don't forget you're also not safe at cliche landmarks around the world either.

 

[kiepie]

Closes one recently was about 7.6 LD away.

Where 1 LD is about 250 000km.

That's millions of miles away!

 

[xrapidx]

Closes one recently was about 7.6 LD away.

Where 1 LD is about 250 000km.

That's millions of miles away!

Take into account their travelling speed

 

[icyrus]

Never fear, we still have Bruce Willis.

 

[xrapidx]

Never fear, we still have Bruce Willis.

... and Chuck

 

[The Cosmos]

Yeah, but we know from the movies than all meteorites that hit earth will hit the USA...

This ain't the movies.

 

[Kalvaer]

There are certain times during the year when there are some really wonderful meteor showers that one can watch without even having a telescope or binoculars. http://stardate.org/nightsky/meteors/ is one website with indications of when and where to look. Delta Aquarids for example is coming up as you can see from the website in 10 days time, Problem will be the full moon which might cause very bad light pollution meaning you wont be able to see much

Oh and I do believe you meant Asteroids.. Meteorites are generally asteroids that have not only broken through our atmosphere, but also actually hit earth

 

[Conspirator]

If there really is a big one, then we can't do anything about it anyway. (Thats not gonna stop the US from trying to nuke it though).

 

[Geriatrix]

Yeah, but we know from the movies than all meteorites that hit earth will hit the USA...

Yes, but it always hits somewhere in africa or asia first, usually a relatively developed third world country to set the scene.

We're like an early warning system.

 

[Nanfeishen]

Some links may be a little dated, but are generally the most recent i could find , sorry

This is on a monthly basis.

Plenty we are not informed about

If there really is a big one, then we can't do anything about it anyway. (Thats not gonna stop the US from trying to nuke it though).

Unfortunately most people who are watching out for these things are amateurs on very low budgets

NASA budget roughly about $4 Million for tracking.

National Public Radio, March 28, 2007 Robert Reich (former Secretary of Labor)

Congress has given NASA a budget of a little over $4 million a year to track these killer asteroids, but NASA says it needs at least a billion dollars more to find all of them by the year 2020.

http://impact.arc.nasa.gov/news_detail.cfm?ID=172

On the amateur side of things:
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/3306441.html?c=y&showAll=y

Yes, but it always hits somewhere in africa or asia first, usually a relatively developed third world country to set the scene.
We're like an early warning system.

Hope you were joking, because it could trigger a small conflict:
From 2002, it was known as the Eastern Mediterranean Event:

This summer, as India and Pakistan faced-off over the disputed Kashmir region, US early warning satellites detected an explosion in the Earth's atmosphere with an energy of 12 kilotonnes of explosive.
The detonation, equivalent to the blast that destroyed Hiroshima, fortunately occurred over the Mediterranean Sea.
But according to US Brig Gen Simon Worden, if it had occurred at the same latitude a few hours earlier, the result could have been much worse.
Had the explosion occurred over India or Pakistan, the resulting panic could have sparked a nuclear war, Worden says.
Could have killed millions
Although US scientists quickly determined that a meteor caused the explosion, neither India nor Pakistan have the sophisticated sensors that can tell the difference between a natural near-Earth object impact and a nuclear detonation, Worden says.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2246449.stm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Mediterranean_Event
http://www.answers.com/topic/eastern-mediterranean-event

An earlier thread on the subject:
http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?t=77396

 

[Kalvaer]

Unfortunately most people who are watching out for these things are amateurs on very low budgets

I would not under estimate the amateur astronomers, They are responsible for more information and discoveries in the last few years than NASA has been.

Its hard for a company like NASA to watch everything and see everything all at once. Which is why the amateur astonomers usually spot things before anyone else.