Visit of the asteroid 2012_DA14: Any chance of a spectacular display?
It would be rushing off at a speed of over 7 KM/second,
less than 28,000 KM overhead. Its closest approach to the earth would be on Feb. 15 at
approximately 19:24 UTC. My conversion says this would be approximately at
00:54 Hours on Feb 16 Indian Standard Time. I wonder if I should hunt for more
information on where to look, what to expect etc. At a magnitude of 7.4 or so,
I would need binoculars, and need to know exactly where to look. It would not be enough to
know that it would come above the horizon at a point south east (as seen from
Bangalore) and would travel northwest. It is believed to weigh about 130,000
metric tons. For more information, visit
I am undecided as yet about a serious effort to see the
flyby; but let me share my thoughts. It would be easier if like-minded people
got together and shared information. Amateur Astronomers of Bangalore, please
let us know what you are doing!
I would not be struck dumb if a 7.4 magnitude body
streaks by at about 8 KM/Sec. 28 KM above my head. Is there a
chance of anything more spectacular? NASA refers to the object as if it is a
single body. How do they know? Is it possible that it is not a monolith? Is it
possible that the temperature variations it undergoes in the extreme cold of
outer space cause it to crack, as rotation exposes different parts to the sun?
Is there any rubble traveling with it? Is it possible that parts of this rubble
are some distance from the center of gravity of DA14? In that case, can we see some
kilogram-size objects following slightly different paths and entering the
atmosphere? Boy! Wouldn’t that be great!
A web-search shows that sky surveys for near-earth
objects like this are getting better and better. I am sure another asteroid
would come along soon enough – perhaps too soon for us to get ready for suitable
action; for instance, to push the asteroid off course to avoid a collision.
Wikipedia tells us that 2012_DA14 was discovered only on February 23, 2012. Visit
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_DA14
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_DA14
Suppose the wise men who follow up on these discoveries
had told us on Feb 25, 2012 that a collision was certain. Would there have been
time to do anything effective and safe enough? I think not! It requires little
force to push a meteorite like 2012_DA14 off a collision course, as long as you
apply the force early enough – that is long before the asteroid comes close to
the earth. It would be best to build a few asteroid-movers and have them
equally spaced around the earth’s orbit. Once an asteroid is detected on a collision
course, we can compute the most efficient solution and command the appropriate
asteroid-mover to start its work! We owe it to humanity to plan this project –
at least plan! We can then discuss the risk-reward trade-off. This will not be mere science! Politics is
unavoidable. Every nation will want its hands on the steering wheels of the
asteroid-movers!
Some experiments, at the other ends, could even be good
student-initiated projects. Please visit
In case you wish to hunt out more information on our asteroid DA14, visit the following web addresses:
Srinivasan Ramani
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