Kick in the Asteroid

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alwayscurious22

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Finally, it seems, there is a sincere interest in tracking asteroids. Their devastation would outweigh all other catastrophes. My questions are: Are the trackers involved, trying to keep track of the effects of other large bodies when the asteroids are not near the earth? It seems only a very slight gravitational effect could cause a known orbit to take on a different tragectory: one that might impact our planet. Is there enough attention paid to the ones with a regular, repeating orbit? Are they routinely re-assessed as they approach? It just seems to me that they could be easily altered (not on purpose) while out at their apogee. The mathematics of an orbit shows how small a nudge would be needed to cause a strong, later shift.
 
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neilsox

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Re: Kick in the ASSteroid

Likely this is taken into account, as I have seen reports of near misses of Mars, and Jupiter. What we can't account for is one ton and less size hits on the asteroid which can change it's orbit sufficiently to change a far future near miss to a hit. Neil
 
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MeteorWayne

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Re: Kick in the ASSteroid

The gravitational effects of the Earth, Moon, Sun, all the planets, Pluto/Charon, Ceres, Vesta and Pallas (those 3 objects contain about 45% of the mass of the entire main asteroid belt) are considered in the calculations of future and past orbits.

Any new observations are used to refine the current orbit (called the osculating orbit), so it is constantly being updated when observed.
 
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csmyth3025

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Re: Kick in the ASSteroid

MeteorWayne":1q7jqdx8 said:
The gravitational effects of the Earth, Moon, Sun, all the planets, Pluto/Charon, Ceres, Vesta and Pallas (those 3 objects contain about 45% of the mass of the entire main asteroid belt) are considered in the calculations of future and past orbits.

Any new observations are used to refine the current orbit (called the osculating orbit), so it is constantly being updated when observed.
Over the relatively short time that we've been tracking and calculating these osculating orbits, have there been any notable observed deviations from the calculated orbits that might indicate a possible collision with another small body?

Chris
 
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MeteorWayne

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None I'm aware of or heard of. Of course, it's not like I keep track of half a million asteroids :)

Collisions are very rare. There's a lot of space in space, even in the asteroid belt.
 
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NaisioDgreat

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Its quit Superlative to know more and followup the collisons :eek: of theses bodies
 
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