A jumbo-jet-size asteroid gave Earth a close shave today (May 15), whizzing past our planet at a safe distance of 126,000 miles (203,000 kilometers) — or about half the distance between Earth and the moon.
https://www.space.com/40594-lost-asteroid-2010-wc9-earth-flyby.html

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During its close pass, asteroid 2010 WC9 was observed to vary in brightness repeatedly, over a period of less than 20 minutes. This is presumably due to its rotation at that same rate.
An asteroid rotating this rapidly is likely to be one stony mass, rather than a loosely held collection of rubble, as some asteroids are.
The variations in brightness amounted to one magnitude. This suggests that the asteroid is substantially elongated, on the order of 2 & 1/2 times longer than it is wide.

This object isn't supposed to be in our solar system.

Asteroid from another star system found orbiting wrong way near Jupiter

A permanent visitor from interstellar space has been found in our solar system, astronomers studying an asteroid orbiting our sun have revealed.

While collisions with Earth by comets and asteroids from within our solar system are thought to have brought organic material and water necessary for life to emerge, experts say the latest discovery suggests bodies from beyond the solar system might have also have played a role.

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Some scientific skepticism has been expressed about the interstellar origins of asteroid 2015 BZ 509. It seems that there are at least 95 other small bodies in our solar system with retrograde orbits. These, as well as 'Bee-Zed', could have had their orbits reversed by gravitational interactions with other solar system bodies. No mathematical model has been produced to show just how 2015 BZ 509 could have been captured into a co-orbit with Jupiter, supposing it actually came in from interstellar space.

Please find an article, linked below, with further information:

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/05/interstellar-asteroid-jupiter-bz509-astronomy-space-science

This object isn't supposed to be in our solar system.
Forgot to post a link to the story.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/may/21/retrograde-asteroid-is-interstellar-immigrant-scientists-say

Known as asteroid 2015 BZ509


Thanks for your link Michael.

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The asteroid probe of the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), known as Hayabusa 2, is nearing its objective, the asteroid Ryugu. On Tuesday, June 5th, it will begin the official approach phase of its mission. At that time Hayabusa 2 will be only 2500 kilometers from the asteroid. Its ion engines will then cut off, and it will coast the rest of the way. A new, though still rather low resolution, image of the asteroid is expected at that time.

Ryugu is a small asteroid, about 900 meters in diameter. Its light curve suggests that it rotates in about 6.7 hours. The light curve was found to be almost steady, indicating a nearly spherical object. That's interesting, because Ryugu is too small an object for its gravity to pull it into a neat, spherical shape.

Please find a link, below, to an article with further information:

http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2018/0525-keep-up-with-hayabusa2.html

From: SPACE WEATHER
http://spaceweather.com/

SMALL ASTEROID HITS EARTH: On Saturday, June 2nd, astronomers working with the Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona discovered a small asteroid (2018 LA) near the orbit of the Moon. Hours later, it hit Earth. The boulder-sized space rock entered the atmosphere traveling 38,000 mph (17 km/s) and exploded over Botswana at 6:44 p.m. local time. A video camera at a farm near Ottosda, South Africa, recorded the explosion. It was impressively bright even at a distance:

https://youtu.be/rnBvSNYy-EY

The explosion sent waves of low-frequency sound (infrasound) rippling through the atmosphere, and it was detected by an infrasound monitor in South Africa, deployed as part of the International Monitoring System of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. Meteor expert Peter Brown of the University of Western Ontario analyzed the signals and came to these conclusions about the explosion:

"The yield was in the range 0.3 to 0.5 kilotons of TNT," he says. "That corresponds to a 2 meter diameter asteroid."

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"Sour Grapes make a bitter Whine." <(0)>

One discovered last year.

Newly Discovered 'Asteroid' Is Far Freakier Than Astronomers Expected

When is an asteroid not an asteroid? When it’s a binary pair. Turns out that an asteroid discovered late last year is actually two gravitationally bound objects in orbit around each other. But this particular duo, dubbed 2017 YE5, belongs to an exceptionally rare class of near-Earth objects.

https://gizmodo.com/newly-discovered-asteroid-is-far-freakier-than-astronom-1827572715

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NASA’s Planet-Hunting TESS Catches a Comet Before Starting Science



https://youtu.be/RnhKBdDanFw

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Data from the space agency’s Earth Close Approaches website indicates that the Near Earth Object (NEO) will come nearest to our planet on August 29.

An asteroid estimated at between 70 and 160 meters (230 to 525 feet) in diameter will make a “close approach” to Earth next week, according to NASA. The rocky object, referred to as 2016 NF23, is traveling at around 20,000 miles per hour—faster than many rockets.

Hope it passes earth.

https://www.newsweek.com/nasa-says-500-foot-wide-asteroid-approaching-earth-potentially-hazardous-1087509

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Asteroid 2016 NF23 Poses No Risk — Again, No Risk — to Us Earthlings
https://www.space.com/41618-asteroid-2016-nf23-no-threat-to-earth.html

Data from the space agency’s Earth Close Approaches website indicates that the Near Earth Object (NEO) will come nearest to our planet on August 29.

An asteroid estimated at between 70 and 160 meters (230 to 525 feet) in diameter will make a “close approach” to Earth next week, according to NASA. The rocky object, referred to as 2016 NF23, is traveling at around 20,000 miles per hour—faster than many rockets.

Hope it passes earth.

https://www.newsweek.com/nasa-says-500-foot-wide-asteroid-approaching-earth-potentially-hazardous-1087509

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Apr 3, 1999 - May 3, 2020

Asteroid 2016 NF23 Poses No Risk — Again, No Risk — to Us Earthlings
https://www.space.com/41618-asteroid-2016-nf23-no-threat-to-earth.html

Data from the space agency’s Earth Close Approaches website indicates that the Near Earth Object (NEO) will come nearest to our planet on August 29.

An asteroid estimated at between 70 and 160 meters (230 to 525 feet) in diameter will make a “close approach” to Earth next week, according to NASA. The rocky object, referred to as 2016 NF23, is traveling at around 20,000 miles per hour—faster than many rockets.

Hope it passes earth.

https://www.newsweek.com/nasa-says-500-foot-wide-asteroid-approaching-earth-potentially-hazardous-1087509

LOL. Good picture.

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A Japanese asteroid-sampling probe is about to get up close and personal with its target space rock.

The Hayabusa2 spacecraft will drop two tiny rovers onto the asteroid Ryugu this week, possibly as early as Thursday (Sept. 20), if all goes according to plan.

https://www.space.com/41885-hayabusa2-rovers-landing-on-asteroid-soon.html?utm_source=notification

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Also looking forward to OSIRIS-REx's ongoing final approach to asteroid Bennu, a mission in which Canada is taking part.
https://www.space.com/41544-nasa-osiris-rex-asteroid-bennu-final-approach.html

A Japanese asteroid-sampling probe is about to get up close and personal with its target space rock.

The Hayabusa2 spacecraft will drop two tiny rovers onto the asteroid Ryugu this week, possibly as early as Thursday (Sept. 20), if all goes according to plan.

https://www.space.com/41885-hayabusa2-rovers-landing-on-asteroid-soon.html?utm_source=notification

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Apr 3, 1999 - May 3, 2020

They Made It! Japan's Two Hopping Rovers Successfully Land on Asteroid Ryugu
By Meghan Bartels, Space.com Senior Writer | September 22, 2018 09:30am ET
https://www.space.com/41912-japanese-hopping-rovers-land-on-asteroid.html

The MINERVA-II1B rover captured this view of asteroid Ryugu on Sept. 21, 2018 shortly after separating from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Hayabusa2 spacecraft. The asteroid appears at lower right. Credit: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

A Japanese asteroid-sampling probe is about to get up close and personal with its target space rock.

The Hayabusa2 spacecraft will drop two tiny rovers onto the asteroid Ryugu this week, possibly as early as Thursday (Sept. 20), if all goes according to plan.

https://www.space.com/41885-hayabusa2-rovers-landing-on-asteroid-soon.html?utm_source=notification

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Apr 3, 1999 - May 3, 2020

Posting for posterity sake. First thought it was asteroid or comet. We are not alone!!!!


Oumuamua: Harvard researchers suggest strange interstellar object may be alien light sail

ASTRONOMERS spotted something odd last year. Something really odd. Now a Harvard professor suggests it was an alien solar sail sent in search for life — ours!

IT WAS our first known interstellar visitor when it was detected flashing past the Sun in October last year. Dubbed ‘Oumuamua’ — Hawaiian for messenger — it was quickly determined to be not of this solar system.

Its trajectory had been traced. And the track it was on could not have possibly been an orbit around our Sun. So it must have come from deep space.

Follow-up observations after the Pan-STAARS-1 telescope in Hawaii announced its discovery revealed the object to be odd.

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The Dawn mission around Ceres has ended any transmission to Earth due to the lack of hydrazine fuel to keep it pointed to Earth. After visiting Vesta it went to Ceres and discovered sodium carbonate in the Occator crater. Its mission was to last 9 years and it ended after 11 years.
Tullio

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Posting for posterity sake. First thought it was asteroid or comet. We are not alone!!!!


Oumuamua: Harvard researchers suggest strange interstellar object may be alien light sail

ASTRONOMERS spotted something odd last year. Something really odd. Now a Harvard professor suggests it was an alien solar sail sent in search for life — ours!

IT WAS our first known interstellar visitor when it was detected flashing past the Sun in October last year. Dubbed ‘Oumuamua’ — Hawaiian for messenger — it was quickly determined to be not of this solar system.

Its trajectory had been traced. And the track it was on could not have possibly been an orbit around our Sun. So it must have come from deep space.

Follow-up observations after the Pan-STAARS-1 telescope in Hawaii announced its discovery revealed the object to be odd.

Everybody has a theory..........I believe Mimas is a derelict Death Star.........

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"Sour Grapes make a bitter Whine." <(0)>

Posting for posterity sake. First thought it was asteroid or comet. We are not alone!!!!


Oumuamua: Harvard researchers suggest strange interstellar object may be alien light sail

ASTRONOMERS spotted something odd last year. Something really odd. Now a Harvard professor suggests it was an alien solar sail sent in search for life — ours!

IT WAS our first known interstellar visitor when it was detected flashing past the Sun in October last year. Dubbed ‘Oumuamua’ — Hawaiian for messenger — it was quickly determined to be not of this solar system.

Its trajectory had been traced. And the track it was on could not have possibly been an orbit around our Sun. So it must have come from deep space.

Follow-up observations after the Pan-STAARS-1 telescope in Hawaii announced its discovery revealed the object to be odd.

I have reservations about the 'light sail' hypothesis, but can't fault these astronomers for being willing to squarely face the questions raised by findings about Oumuamua.

It is leaving the solar system at greater speed than can be accounted for by its pass near the Sun, or interactions with any other solar system body. As the linked article says: If it had been boosted to higher speed by comet-like venting of volatile materials from its surface, this degree of venting should have altered the object's rate of spin. We had the object under observation at the time, and it did not alter its spin.

The hypothesis that Oumuamua could be an extraterrestrial artifact, under power, is a perfectly respectable one. Both the Breakthrough Listen project and the SETI Institute thought so, too. They devoted substantial periods of their observing time to monitoring it for intelligent radio emissions.

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"Sour Grapes make a bitter Whine." <(0)>