Apparition of Near Earth Asteroid Eros

[Notrump]

No doubt the woos will soon be making more out of this than there is. But for the astronomically curious, near Earth asteroid 433 Eros will approach to 0.1787 AU (26.7 million km – 16.6 million mi) of Earth on 2012 JAN 31 at magnitude +8.5. That will be its closest since 1975 and until 2056. Eros was the first asteroid known to cross the orbit of Mars, and numerical integration suggests it has the potential to become an Earth impactor millions of years in the future. It is the second largest near Earth asteroid and is shoe-shaped with longest dimension of 34 km. In 2000 it became the first asteroid orbited by spacecraft.

I’ve created three graphics related to Eros:

1) An ephemeris with both current date and J2000.0 coordinates in decimal format for ease of interpolation.

2) A chart in current date geocentric equatorial coordinates.

3) A chart of Earth and Eros in their orbits as viewed from the north side of the solar system.

These can be seen at www.CurtRenz.com/asteroids

Photos and descriptions of Eros would be welcome additions to this thread. Below are six views of Eros as photographed by a NASA spacecraft.


http://www.CurtRenz.com/Eros433.jpg

[Craig B]

Eros was the first asteroid known to cross the orbit of Mars, and numerical integration suggests it has the potential to become an Earth impactor millions of years in the future. It is the second largest near Earth asteroid and is shoe-shaped with longest dimension of 34 km. Dear God! The K-T impactor's diameter is estimated at a mere 6 to 10 km. A collision with Eros would surely induce the greatest catastrophe since the appearance of multi-cellular life. Would any multi-cellular organisms survive such an event?

[Complexity]

Dear God! The K-T impactor's diameter is estimated at a mere 6 to 10 km. A collision with Eros would surely induce the greatest catastrophe since the appearance of multi-cellular life. Would any multi-cellular organisms survive such an event?


Only the cockroaches...

[Perpetual Student]

Only the cockroaches...

... and Betty White.

[Soapy Sam]

By that time, the cockroaches will have deflector shields and FTL.

[Notrump]

It's only eight days until the unusually close approach of near-Earth asteroid Eros, and eleven until its expected greatest brilliance. I've created three more charts graphing Eros' distance, declination and stellar magnitude. So there are now six Eros graphics on my asteroid webpage. Let's hope we have clear skies next week. Reports should be interesting. www.CurtRenz.com/asteroids

[Soapy Sam]

My browser won't let me look at erotic graphics.:(
Nice night here, earlier. Venus and Jupiter were very clear.

[Beerina]

Dear God! The K-T impactor's diameter is estimated at a mere 6 to 10 km. A collision with Eros would surely induce the greatest catastrophe since the appearance of multi-cellular life. Would any multi-cellular organisms survive such an event?

Depends on whether the entire crust melts or not, but in that case even single-celled is in trouble.

As for multi-celled, if some survive, yes, many will, specifically all the stuff living around the thermal vents in the ocean, as well as those living in underground rivers and lakes (think blind fish and whatnot.) The former the sun could go out and they'd still survive for billions of years.

[Mark6]

A bit OT:

According to latest issue of Wired, "only cockroaches will survive World War III" is a myth. All insects can wihstand far more radiation than mammals, but by insect standards cockroaches are actually on the low end of radiation tolerance scale. 6500 rad is lethal for cockroaches, and mere 1000 rad renders them sterile. Pharaoh ants are far more likely to inherit post-holocaust world, as they withstand over 150,000 rad.

[LarianLeQuella]

I for one welcome our ant overlords.


(Sorry, is that all played out by now?)

[aggle-rithm]

Eros was the first asteroid known to cross the orbit of Mars, and numerical integration suggests it has the potential to become an Earth impactor millions of years in the future.

Knowing humanity's proclivity for procrastination, I bet we don't do anything about it until the week before.

There'll be lots of: "WHAT?!? Why weren't we TOLD?!?"

[aggle-rithm]

A bit OT:

According to latest issue of Wired, "only cockroaches will survive World War III" is a myth. All insects can wihstand far more radiation than mammals, but by insect standards cockroaches are actually on the low end of radiation tolerance scale. 6500 rad is lethal for cockroaches, and mere 1000 rad renders them sterile. Pharaoh ants are far more likely to inherit post-holocaust world, as they withstand over 150,000 rad.

Which will be moot unless they can survive being submerged in molten lava.

[Mark6]

I for one welcome our ant overlords.


(Sorry, is that all played out by now?)
Build me a pyramid out of sugar cubes, slave!

[Notrump]

My browser won't let me look at erotic graphics.:(
Nice night here, earlier. Venus and Jupiter were very clear.


Well, Sam, I suppose then that you'll have to take some to those erotic photos yourself. :D

Indeed, Venus and Jupiter are putting on quite a show during the early evening. Mars is rising later in the evening and will make the closest approach for its current apparition on March 3: www.CurtRenz.com/mars