So why so little news on (the supposedly very near miss) asteroid 2011 ES4? (Flyby due today)

There was a thread the other day about 2020 being such a year, but the thread seems to be dead already and I didn't really find an answer in it.

So there's been news (from nasa and other sources) for a decade about this asteroid or asteroid belt? coming 1/3 of the distance of the moon to us, yet for weeks its all been about (the very far away) NEOWISE.

Did this asteroid (2011 ES4) or belt change its course? Surely it would be a much bigger spectacle than NEOWISE? Or is my physics (which is high school level lol) so bad that I haven't realised that it would be too fast for us to even spot? Or is it just too small to spot? (20-40m)

According to NASA, the asteroid is listed on the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS)'s 'Close Approaches' database, found here.

ssd.jpl.nasa.gov...

Here's article that doesn't mention how stargazers can watch it.
zeenews.india.com...

And another
www.techtimes.com...

Was hoping some fizzix guys could help me 😊
Thanks
🍺

a reply to: FinallyAwake

Or is it just too small to spot? (20-40m)

Yes.
Small and not really very close at all.

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: FinallyAwake

Or is it just too small to spot? (20-40m)

Yes.
Small and not really very close at all.

Thanks 👍🏼
So it's not going to be 1/3 of the distance to the moon after all? I believe it was classed as a PHA?

Dammit! Always the way. 😒

After posting I found this
theskylive.com...

Right Ascension10h 27m 45s
Declination-02° 49’ 02”
ConstellationSextans
Magnitude28.00
VISIBILITY RIGHT NOW
2011 ES4 is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
It is visible looking in the East-South-East direction at an altitude of 7° above the horizon.
Given its current magnitude, 2011 ES4 is visible only through long exposure photography.

I'm such a klutz 😒

a reply to: FinallyAwake

So it's not going to be 1/3 of the distance to the moon after all?

75,000 miles is a pretty good distance away.

I believe it was classed as a PHA?

Someday maybe. Not this year.

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: FinallyAwake

So it's not going to be 1/3 of the distance to the moon after all?


75,000 miles is a pretty good distance away.

Ummm, the moon is 238,900 miles from Earth.

75,000 miles is approximately 1/3 of the distance to the moon - n'est pas?

Anything short of a direct impact is a yawn in 2020

Can the MSM blame it in Trump? If No, then why cover it

not in space it isn't, you know this

a reply to: Phage

originally posted by: Riffrafter

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: FinallyAwake

So it's not going to be 1/3 of the distance to the moon after all?


75,000 miles is a pretty good distance away.

Ummm, the moon is 238,900 miles from Earth.

75,000 miles is approximately 1/3 of the distance to the moon - n'est pas?

I didn't see Phage refuting that. Only that 75k is still a comfortable distance.

ISS is at some 400 Km (250 miles).
Low-Earth orbits (LEO) satellites are between 180 Km and 2,000 Km (111 to 1,243 miles)
Medium-Earth orbits (MEO) satellites are between 2,000 Km and 36,000 Km (1,243 to 22,223 miles)
Geosynchronous orbit satellites (GEO) are at 36,000 Km (22,223 miles)

I think I agree with Phage, that asteroid is a pretty safe distance away.

originally posted by: DrakeINFERNO
Anything short of a direct impact is a yawn in 2020

I've been saying that for a long time. Call me when it hits somewhere on the planet and causes major damage.

a reply to: FinallyAwake


What 2020 hasn't had enough disaster with Corona Virus ???

Now an asteroid impact ….

Whats next ???

10 plagues of Egypt ??

Zombie apocalypse ??

Biden being elected ??

originally posted by: hombero
not in space it isn't, you know this

a reply to: Phage

IF 75,000 miles isn't a good distance away in space, what is a good distance away?

originally posted by: firerescue
a reply to: FinallyAwake


What 2020 hasn't had enough disaster with Corona Virus ???

Now an asteroid impact ….

Whats next ???

10 plagues of Egypt ??

Zombie apocalypse ??

Biden being elected ??

I don't know about 10 plagues, but read an article about a Locust plague, a lot bigger threat to humanity than an asteroid missing us by 75,000 miles.

Locus ts Are A Plague Of Biblical Scope In 2020. Why?

News is not dog bites man, but the opposite. We don't get hit by asteroids all the time.

a reply to: Blue Shift

Yes we do.
But they're usually pretty tiny.

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: Blue Shift

Yes we do.
But they're usually pretty tiny.

Yeah, only rarely by anything significant. From space the atmosphere doesn't look all that substantial, like a little layer of blue haze. But it's pretty good at burning stuff up before it hits the ground. Most of the time. One of my favorites:

a reply to: Blue Shift
That’s probably just a small rock that was inadvertently folded up in his parachute.