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Will Earth Get Hit By An Asteroid Soon?

May 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Asteroid Impact

Asteroid Impact Courtesy NASA

I’m a big geek about a lot of things but astronomy has always been close to the top of the list. So while looking for an excuse to break out the telescope and see something new I decided to look up the Near Earth Object Program and see if there were any known objects that might be visible anytime soon.  What I found was NASA’a list of known objects with earth crossing orbits giving them an at least marginal chance of impacting us. From there the data geek kicked in and here is what I’ve found:

All numbers are approximate.

  • There are 300 objects with a chance of hitting us (that we know about).
  • There are 46 that could hit us in the next 10 years.
  • Of those that might hit us between now and 2010 all are 0 (zero) on the Tornio Scale (the likelihood of “consequences” if an impact occurs, lower is better).
  • The largest asteroid with a chance of impacting us is in 2014 (named 2008 VS4) and has a diameter of 1.2 kilometers and has a velocity of 14.05km/sec (31,428 miles per hour). Actual probability of this one hitting us is 1 in 384,615,000).

According to the Spaceguard Survey, in the case of 75% of the asteroids 1 km and larger, individual chances of dying in the event of an impact are about 1-in-720,000. About the same chance as dying from a fireworks accident or amusement park ride.

By way of comparison, the Tunguska incident in Siberia in 1908 the object was probably between 20-100 metres (65-325 feet) across and the Barringer Meteor Crater in Arizona was caused by something about 30 meters in diameter. Then of course there is the famous dinosaur killing asteroid that was about 10,000 meters (10km) wide.

For now we’re pretty safe but new objects are being discovered all the time so keep your eyes on JPL and on the sky!

By the way, the  object most likely to hit us is 2006 JY26 with a 1 in 172 chance of causing a bad day starting sometime in 2073, but at a paltry .007 meters in diameter, I would’t sweat it.

Have a nice day!

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6 Things You Should Do While In Indianapolis Race Weekend (or anytime)

May 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

I don’t live in Indy anymore but I did grow up there, and since it will always be “home” I usually get a little nostalgic this time of year when the city is gearing up for the Race. May is arguably one of the best months of the year in Indy, the weather is typically nice, the race is about to happen, sometimes the Pacers are in the playoffs, the Indianan’s are playing… there’s just a lot going on and it’s a ton of fun.

This year my friend John P. from Onemansblog.com has a press pass to the Indy 500 and will be road tripping up to Indy to shoot pics and video of the race. I’m expecting some spectacular shots (ahem!)

So for John, and anyone else heading to Indianapolis for race weekend, or any weekend here are 6  Things You Should Do While in Indianapolis. They’re not race specific but they’re distinctly Indianapolis. Many of these are also “photography” focused so lot’s of good picture opportunities.

1. Have dinner at St. Elmo’s Steakhouse

Established in 1902 and still in its original location (125 S. Illinois Street in Downtown Indy) this is the place to dine in Indy. Fantastic steaks and seafood, a killer wine selection and when things are going on like the 500 your likely to spot plenty of celebs (though that is the last reason to go). St. Elmo’s just oozes history so don’t miss it.

2. Take Cool Pictures Along the Canal

The canal runs from downtown out to White River Park (largely through it) and has lot’s of great photo-ops along the way. I’d definitely take pictures of the Medal of Honor Monument (pictured above) and the Indy skyline from the canal. There are great opportunities for night shots as well.

3. Visit the Children’s Museum, 3000 N. Meridian Street

The largest children’s museum in the world this was a favorite outing as a kid but isn’t lost on adults either. My favorite was the T-Rex skeleton and mummy but there are floors of stuff to see and do. I can only imagine what they’ve added since I’ve been there!

4. Visit the NCAA Headquarters, 700 Washington Street

You’ll probably want to spend most of your time in the Hall of Champions but it’s a beautiful structure with plenty to see. And it would be an absolute shame to visit the amateur sports capital of the world and not go to the NCAA HQ!

5. Visit the Indiana War Memorial, located on the 400 block of Meridian just north of Downtown

The War memorial is a beautiful building and a striking tribute to Indiana War Veterans. The shrine room is particularly impressive.  It’s well worth your time to walk among the artifacts and history.

6. See Monument Circle

This one goes without saying but the 238ft tower smack in the geographic center of the city is just plain nice to see. It’s also iconic in that it literally rests in the middle of Indianapolis and everything diverges from there. Any without doubt any sporting event broadcast from Indy will feature aerial shots of Monument Circle. Go see it and say you’ve been there!

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