----- Original Message ----- From: "Alberto Monteiro" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Killer Bs Discussion" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, March 18, 2004 6:15 AM Subject: Re: The Closest Near Miss On Record - Today
> Tom Beck wrote: > > > > > A small near-Earth asteroid (NEA), discovered Monday night by the > > > NASA-funded LINEAR asteroid survey, will make the closest approach to > > > Earth ever recorded. There is no danger of a collision with the Earth > > > during this encounter. > > > > > > The object, designated 2004 FH, is roughly 30 meters (100 feet) in > > > diameter and will pass just 43,000 km (26,500 miles, or about 3.4 > > > Earth diameters) above the Earth's surface on March 18th at 5:08 PM > > > EST (2:08 PM PST, 22:08 UTC). (Close approach details here). > > > > If it did impact, what would the damage be? (I realize this depends on > > where it impacts.) > > > Using Shoemaker's formula, a crater of diameter approximately > equal to 8.5 meters, or the equivalent to 0.1 kilotons of TNT [1% of > Hiroshima - I wonder how much was the TNT-equivalent of the > WTC or Spanish attacks] > How can the crater be so much smaller than the asteroid itself? I figured a 30 meter rock would severely damage an average sized city since it would entail a pretty large concussion. xponent Da Bomb Maru rob _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
