* Astronomy

Blobrana · L

RE: Asteroid 2011 MD

Blobrana · L

Spitzer Spies an Odd, Tiny Asteroid

Astronomers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have measured the size of an asteroid candidate for NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM), a proposed spacecraft concept to capture either a small asteroid, or a boulder from an asteroid. The near-Earth asteroid, called 2011 MD, was found to be roughly 20 feet (6 meters) in size, and its structure appears to contain a lot of empty space, perhaps resembling a pile of rubble. Spitzer's infrared vision was key to sizing up the asteroid.
Read more

Blobrana · L

On June 28, 2011 an asteroid designated 2011 MD, estimated at 520 m (1666 ft) in diameter, passed within 20,000 km (12,000 mi) of the Earth, passing over the Atlantic Ocean.

Blobrana · L

2011 MD is a near -Earth object, Apollo Asteroide ,wish will pass very close to Earth surface at a distance of about 12.000 Km, about 13:00 EDT on June 27 , 2011

Spoiler

Blobrana · L

2011MD with details

Spoiler

Near Earth Asteroid 2011MD from 20110627 02:19:32 to 06:14:23.
This video contains 1059 frames of 2s each, taken with a 14" SCT @ F/1.9 and a QSI583WS CCD camera. Frames were calibrated and well timed.
Guiding was done using MetaGuide software, a Lumenera USB camera and a piggybacked guide scope to keep the asteroid near the middle of the field.
You can see the asteroid's brightness undulating up and down, suggesting rotation.

Blobrana · L

UWA telescope tracks 'near-miss' asteroid which passed 12,300km from Australia

The Near Earth Asteroid 2011 MD was picked up by the University of Western Australia's Zadko Telescope and tracked for 40 minutes above Australian skies as it made a hairpin turn around the planet on Monday night.
Read more

Blobrana · L

Astronomers observing inbound asteroid 2011 MD found that their calculations were a little off. The asteroid, which measures 15 feet by 60 feet wide, is what is known as a PHA (Potentially Hazardous Asteroid), and was headed toward Earth. It is just one of many that NASA's Near Earth Objects Observation Program regularly tracks. But this particular massive space rock was scheduled to arrive Monday morning and pass about 7,500 miles above the Earth's surface. It did neither.
Getting calculations wrong by a degree or two could mean the difference between a fly-by and a devastating impact. This time, the calculations erred in the Earth's favour...
Read more

Blobrana · L

Flyby of asteroid 2011 MD near Earth

Spoiler

Blobrana · L

Near Earth Asteroid 2011MD from 20110627 02:19:32 to 06:14:23.

Spoiler

This video contains 1058 frames of 2s each, taken with a 14" SCT @ F/1.9 and a QSI 583 video camera. Frames were calibrated and well timed.
Guiding was done using MetaGuide software, a Lumenera USB camera and a piggybacked guide scope to keep the asteroid near the middle of the field.

Blobrana · L

Spoiler

Spoiler