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willpittenger
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See who gets the best picture. I am interested in how you do. You might post them in this thread.<br /><br />Target: Asteroid 4179 Toutatis<br />Read about it: http://planetary.org/news/2006/0630_Astronomers_Gearing_Up_t
bserve.html<br /><br /><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p><font color="yellow">Planetary News: Near Earth Objects (2006)</font><br /><i>Astronomers Gearing Up to Observe Fast-Moving Visitor</i><br />30 June, 2006<br /><br />Amateur astronomers equipped with medium sized telescopes will be treated to a remarkable display on the night of July 2-3, as a visiting space rock will zoom by Earth at a dazzling speed. The rock, also known as asteroid 2004 XP14, is a member of the nearly 200 strong "Apollo" family of asteroids, whose orbits intersect Earth's. It will make its closest approach at 4:25 am on July 3, Universal Time (9:25 pm on July 2, Pacific Daylight Time), passing at a distance of 432,617 kilometers (268,873 miles ) from Earth -- just 10% greater than the average distance of the Moon.<br />More On Near Earth Objects<br /><br />At its brightest, the asteroid will reach the 11th magnitude, making it visible with telescopes of 8 inch apertures or more. Speeding along at 17 kilometers per second (10.5 miles per second), the asteroid will be moving by so fast that it will be covering 8.323 degrees every hour. This is equivalent to the diameter of the Moon every four minutes! With the proper equipment, observers will actually be able to see 2004 XP14 move across the sky.<br /><br />The precise size of 2004 XP14 is not known, but based on its brightness astronomers estimate it to be between 400 and 900 meters (1300 to 3000 feet). This would mean a good-sized impact if the asteroid ever strayed into Earth's path, and indeed when 2004 XP14 was first discovered there was some concern that it might be on a collision course with</p></blockquote> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>