Joe S. - Asteriod close call . . .Says Who?

Happy Valentine's Day !          Oh yeah ,                           DUUUUUUUCK ! ! !   On February 15, 2013 Asteroid " 2012-DA14 " will pass within 17,000 miles of Earth. That's  INSIDE the geocentric orbits of many man made satellites ! ! YIKES ! Well at least we are given the comfort that a direct strike would ONLY result in damage equal to that of a 250 megaton atomic bomb that at MOST might obliterate a major city somewhere on the globe. There is NO possibility, I repeat NONE that this asteroid could wipe out all life on earth, it's just not big enough. On the OTHER hand, that COMET headed here this coming November . . .                               Enjoy,                                           Joe S Asteroid 2012 DA14 to sweep close on February 15, 2013 Asteroid 2012 DA14 on February 15, 2012 It’ll pass within the moon’s distance from Earth – closer than the orbits of geosynchronous satellites. But it won’t strike us in 2013. Wikipedia says: 2012 DA14 passing Earth on 15 February 2013. Discovery[1] Discovered by OAM Observatory, La Sagra (J75) 0.45-m Reflector Discovery date February 23, 2012 Designations MPC designation 2012 DA14 Minor planet category Pre-2013: Apollo NEO[2] Post 2013-Feb-15: Aten[2] Orbital characteristics[3] Epoch 2012-Sep-30 (Uncertainty=0)[3] Aphelion 1.110 AU (Q) Perihelion 0.8935 AU (q) Semi-major axis 1.001 AU (a) Eccentricity 0.1081 Orbital period 366.2 days Mean anomaly 299.9° (M) Inclination 10.33° Longitude of ascending node 147.2° Argument of perihelion 271.0° Physical characteristics Dimensions ~45 meters (148 ft)[4] Rotation period ~6 hr[5] Spectral type L-type[5] Absolute magnitude (H) 2012 DA14 passing Earth on 15 February 2013. OAM Observatory, La Sagra (J75) 0.45-m Reflector February 23, 2012 2012 DA14 Pre-2013: Apollo NEO[2] Post 2013-Feb-15: Aten[2] Epoch 2012-Sep-30 (Uncertainty=0)[3] 1.110 AU (Q) 0.8935 AU (q) 1.001 AU (a) 0.1081 366.2 days 299.9° (M) 10.33° 147.2° 271.0° ~45 meters (148 ft)[4] ~6 hr[5] L-type[5] 24.4[3 ]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_DA14 24.4[3 ]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_DA14 2012 DA14 is a near-Earth asteroid with an estimated diameter of about 45 meters (148 ft) and an estimated mass of about 130,000metric tons.[4] It was discovered on February 23, 2012, by theOAM Observatory, La Sagra in Spain (J75)[1] seven days after passing 0.0174 AU (2,600,000 km; 1,620,000 mi) from Earth on February 16.[3] Calculations show that on February 15, 2013, the distance between the asteroid and Earth will be 0.000228 AU(34,100 km; 21,200 mi).[6] The 2013 passage of 2012 DA14 by Earth is a record close approach for a known object of this size.[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_DA14 Comment from Doug Thibaudeau • http://earthsky.org/space/asteroid-2012-da14-will-pass-very-close-to-earth-in-2013 − I know the odds are against an earth strike and major damage but maybe that's just what we need. A wake up call to say, "hey, idiots. Instead of killing each other to no end, maybe it's time to realize that this is all we have...each other. And at any given time and place it can all go boom and it won't matter how much money, power or weapons you possess it will mean nothing. So let's show our greatest strength by embracing our humanity and living for the betterment of mankind instead of its demise or control. The universe is far too great for us to be alone. After looking at our history is it any wonder why they haven't contacted us? Now suppose we currently ARE the elder race, a pity we strive to be animals instead of humans. We have it in our possession to be the best of life forms...why not try As Joe S says:     Happy Valentine's Day !   And as Phill Plait says: Have an astronomical Valentine’s Day By Phil Plait    OK, it’s a manufactured holiday, blah blah blah. That doesn’t mean we can’t have fun with it! If you have someone you love who also shares your love of the sky, then have I got the pictures for you. I already linked to scientist valentines cards, and the one I made on my own. But what about real astronomical objects? Turns out there are quite a few. Let’s start close to home… astronomically speaking. You may already know about the famous Mars Valentine Crater: But did you know about the Valentine Mars mesa? The asteroid Eros was visited by the NEAR spacecraft, which took the picture below. Eros isn’t heart-shaped (it’s spud-shaped), so why include it? Well, don’t you know your mythology? Heading outward into the Universe, we can find IC 805… also called the Heart Nebula, taken by the gifted astrophotographer John Chumack and posted on BAUT: And finally, something I have never seen come up before. I wanted this list to be as complete as possible, so I went through different types of objects in my head. Crater? Yup. Mesa? Yup. Asteroid, nebula? Yup2. Then I wondered, are there any heart-shaped galaxies? And bang, right away I knew which one would fit the bill. These are the famous Antenna Galaxies, two galaxies in the act of colliding. They are not usually rotated this way, so the heart-shape isn’t obvious. In fact, I wonder if anyone else has ever thought of this? A (brief) search didn’t turn up anything. But how perfect is this? The two galaxies are merging, becoming one. For millions of years they have been dancing this tango, at first reaching out long arms to each other, then sweeping past each other perhaps several times before finally uniting. And the outcome of such a marriage is similar to that in humans… birth! Those reddish pink regions are where countless millions of stars are being born before our eyes. The ultimate product of love gravity. So if you do happen to celebrate Valentine’s Day here on Earth, maybe it’ll help a bit to keep your eyes on the skies. There’s love to be found just about everywhere. And hey, if all of this works, you can finally ask, Did the Earth move for you? http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/02/13/have-an-astronomical-valentines-day/#.URcbUKVZWd0 Click here: February 15th Near Earth Asteroid Flyby