Four asteroids narrowly miss Earth

Asteroid 2012 DA14 missed Earth by a mere 17 000 miles earlier this year, but had it struck it would have possibly killed millions of people. But DA14 is puny when compared to Asteroid 1998 QE2 which followed it several months later. If that impacted, most life on Earth would have definitely gone the way of the dinosaurs.

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Asteroid DA14

Just hours before asteroid 2012 DA14 skimmed closer to Earth than any object of its size on February 15 2013, a 7 000 ton 49 feet wide meteorite exploded over Russia  creating a vicious sonic boom that rained fireballs over Chelyabinsk while the shockwave shattered windows, damaged buildings and injured 1 200 people.  

At 50 meters across and weighing 143 000 tons, DA14 is a celestial feather weight compared to the 6 mile wide killer that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Nevertheless DA14 packs one hell of a punch for its small size, a collision would have released energy equivalent to 2.4million tons of TNT and it would have razed everything within 1, 942 square kilometres, an area roughly the size of Lesotho.

                                                              

DA14 was closer to Earth than many communication satellites which orbit 22, 300miles up, but despite its hair raising proximity the asteroid was still way too small to see with the naked eye at it nearest point over the island of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. Even when viewed with binoculars and telescopes in the best locations which were in Asia, east Europe and Australia, the rock appeared as a mere pin prick of light moving 17 times faster than a bullet.

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Asteroid 1998 QE2

1998 QE2 which missed us by 5.8 million kilometres on 31 May was so massive it even had its own 2 000 feet wide mini moon orbiting it. At 2.7km wide, QE2 was definitely a cause for alarm as scientists estimate that any asteroid bigger than 0.6miles or 1kilometer is all it would take to snuff us out. QE2 was visible from anywhere on Earth with a telescope. But if you missed it the rock will make another fly by on July 12, 2028.

The South African Astronomical Observatory posted footage of the flyby of  Asteroid 1998 QE2

Asteroid LR6

2013’s latest near miss came from Asteroid LR6 on June 8 which flew over Tasmania, Australia. Fortunately, the 10meter wide shrimp posed no threat to us.

“Close call”

Former Apollo astronaut Rusty Schweickart, chairman of the B612 Foundation which is committed to protecting Earth from deadly asteroids says “we are in a shooting gallery and this is evidence of it.”

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He added that DA14 was “such a close call that it is like a celestial torpedo across the bow of the Earth.” If a killer asteroid was incoming Schweickart says two spaceships would be launched to gradually nudge the rock until its trajectory comfortably missed Earth even if it returned. In May NASA said it wants to launch a spacecraft that can capture a small asteroid and park it next to the moon for astronauts to explore.

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