Nasa: Asteroid 2014 RC flies past Earth

[Notebook]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-29098632

A small asteroid about the size of a house is passing Earth, US space agency Nasa says.
At its closest point, the asteroid 2014 RC passed over New Zealand at 18:18 GMT on Sunday. It is about 18m (60ft) wide.
Nasa says it is about 40,000km (25,000 miles) away, and posed no danger to Earth.
However, a meteorite that landed near the Nicaraguan capital Managua on Sunday could have come from the asteroid, experts there said.

Been on the news this morning, speculation that the big bang in Nicaragua could have been part of it.

N.

 

[dgatsoulis]

Copied the path from JPL's Horizons and made a quick vid.

FoV 15°, camera distance 506 meters. Asteroid shape and rotation pulled out of my... hat. Size comparison from Wiki page. (approx 10x32 meters).
Video quality should get to HD in a few minutes.

 

[statickid]

Is that time accelerated?

 

[dgatsoulis]

x10000 'til ~200000 km away from Earth, x1000 from there on.

 

[dman]

I was expecting an Earth shattering KABOOM.......!!!!!

 

[RGClark]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-29098632

Been on the news this morning, speculation that the big bang in Nicaragua could have been part of it.

N.

8 September 2014 Last updated at 05:19 ET
Meteorite leaves crater in Nicaraguan capital Managua.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-29106843

No one however saw a meteorite streak in the sky in this Nicaragua incident. I'd be more confident it was a meteorite if fragments could be found at the site.

Bob Clark

 

[RGClark]

There was also a Spanish fireball near the time of the asteroid close approach referred to as a "super bolide" here:

Spain Super Bolide 08SEP2014
Barcelona, Spain Super Bolide 0655 am 08SEP2014
Meteorites likely produced!
http://lunarmeteoritehunters.blogspot.com/2014/09/spain-super-bolide-08sep2014.html

In the second video on this page it looks really huge. Anyone see any estimates on its size?
I'm in the distinct minority in still thinking there is a connection between asteroid close approaches and meteorite fireballs, like in the Russian meteorite case and in this Spanish case.


Bob Clark