Path Of Asteroid 2004 MN4

I know that there is next to no chance of this asteroid hitting us, but the article ive just read (Link Below) states that it will pass the Earth on On April 13, 2029 at a distance of 22,600 miles to the centre of the Earth.
It also states that this is below the orbit of geosynchronous Earth satellites.

What are these satellites and could this asteroid smash them to pieces???

neo.jpl.nasa.gov...

Actually there is a thread somewhere posted recently accounting this very same question and some do belive it will indeed have an impact on some satallites...

The scary part is that it will come in between the Earth and the moon so that could be a double Jepordy if Earth doesnt get wacked maybe the moon could!!!!!

Overall how accurate are scientist predicting an event that is supposed to happen in 24 years anyhow?

[edit on 4-3-2005 by 2ndSEED]

if Earth doesnt get wacked maybe the moon could!!!!!

Wouldnt that bugger up the tides causing tsunamis and such???

The moon has been hit by many asteroids. (look at the craters)
Interesting though ... wonder what one the size of this asteroid
would do? Wobble the orbit or not even make more than a slight
dent? hmmmm

Like i said, would that affect the tides?

I wonder if they overlooked the effects of the moons gravity on its course. In the pic it looks like they did.

Originally posted by sephiroth
I wonder if they overlooked the effects of the moons gravity on its course. In the pic it looks like they did.

Somehow I don't think so... although from what they were saying on the site it seems they lose predictive accuracy after the troid passes earth - I am not sure whey this is the case, maybe earth and the moon's gravity make it go all wonky?

Anyway they said that even with the decrease in predictive accuracy it was still impossible of for the troid to impact the moon.

-smokinjoe

there is virtually no change of the asteroid hitting the moon. Last sky and telelscope reported abount an .000000008 % chance of it happening. One problems of perdiction is how the Earth moon system will affect its path, and how fast the asteroid is going.

And if any sattilites are in the way, it would be like a Semi-Truck hitting a squirel on the autoban.. becoming some additional road texture

I dont know if they measured the size of the asteroid, but it would have to take a fairly big one (more then Tens of miles in diameter) to affect the moon in any significiant way.

april 13 2029, 16 days before my 40th birthday! i wanna turn 40!!!

Who knows what it will do, it is on Friday the 13th you know

22,600mi from the center of the Earth leaves it at about 4,326 mi outside Earth's atmosphere. -- The distance from the earth to the moon is about 234,674mi farther than the asteroids anticipated location. Quite a big gap, so the chance of it hitting the moon would be slim to none.

There are two pretty wide ranges of orbit where the asteroid could hit the Moon: two areas 165degrees or so apart when it's on either side of the Earth in line with the incoming rock. I don't know what any of the calculations have been or even their estimated accuracy, but by first glance the chances are much greater than slim to none.

> say 1:60-100, just a guess.

[edit on 4-3-2005 by apc]

Originally posted by J_3
22,600mi from the center of the Earth leaves it at about 4,326 mi outside Earth's atmosphere. -- The distance from the earth to the moon is about 234,674mi farther than the asteroids anticipated location. Quite a big gap, so the chance of it hitting the moon would be slim to none.

your numbers are off just a bit.

the diameter of the earth is about 7,900 miles. giving it a radius of 3,950.

the official start of space is 62 miles.

so taking the 22,600 mile passing and subtracting the former numbers (22,600 - 3,950 - 62 ) puts the asteroid at 18,588 miles outside the atmosphere.

Well I doubt it would hit a satellite... Chances of that would have to be less than the chances of it hitting the Moon. But you asked what geosynchronous satellites are. To answer that simply, they're satellites that orbit 24,000 miles up, directly above the equator. Most of these are for communications of sorts, be it cell phone, tv, or radio. That's why on your satellite tv in the northern hemisphere you have to have the dish pointed south.

As for the object hitting the Moon and affecting tides, I doubt it would have any effect.