2009 DD45
Encyclopedia
2009 DD45 is a small Apollo asteroid
that passed near Earth
at an altitude of 63500 km (39,457.2 mi) on 2 March 2009 at 13:44 UTC. It was discovered by Australian astronomers at the Siding Spring Observatory on 27 February 2009, only three days before its closest approach to the Earth. Its estimated diameter is between 15 and 23 metres. This is about the same size as a hypothetical object that could have caused the Tunguska event
in 1908.
BBC News Online
cites the minimum distance as 72000 km (44,738.8 mi) (about 1/5 lunar distances
). 2009 DD45 passed farther away (40 thousand miles versus 4 thousand miles) but was substantially larger than 2004 FU162
, a small asteroid about 6 m (20 ft) across which came within about 6500 km (4,038.9 mi) in 2004, and is more similar in size to 2004 FH
. Some scientists speculate that this near-Earth asteroid could return because of the Earth's gravitational pull; some predict the next close encounter of 2009 DD45 with Earth's orbit will be in 2067.
Apollo asteroid
The Apollo asteroids are a group of near-Earth asteroids named after 1862 Apollo, the first asteroid of this group to be discovered by Karl Wilhelm Reinmuth...
that passed near Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
at an altitude of 63500 km (39,457.2 mi) on 2 March 2009 at 13:44 UTC. It was discovered by Australian astronomers at the Siding Spring Observatory on 27 February 2009, only three days before its closest approach to the Earth. Its estimated diameter is between 15 and 23 metres. This is about the same size as a hypothetical object that could have caused the Tunguska event
Tunguska event
The Tunguska event, or Tunguska blast or Tunguska explosion, was an enormously powerful explosion that occurred near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in what is now Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, at about 7:14 a.m...
in 1908.
BBC News Online
BBC News Online
BBC News Online is the website of BBC News, the division of the BBC responsible for newsgathering and production. The website is the most popular news website in the United Kingdom and forms a major part of BBC Online ....
cites the minimum distance as 72000 km (44,738.8 mi) (about 1/5 lunar distances
Lunar distance (astronomy)
In astronomy, a lunar distance is a measurement of the distance from the Earth to the Moon. The average distance from Earth to the Moon is 384,400 kilometers...
). 2009 DD45 passed farther away (40 thousand miles versus 4 thousand miles) but was substantially larger than 2004 FU162
2004 FU162
' is a meteoroid which passed within about one Earth radius of the surface of the Earth at 15:35 UTC on March 31, 2004 this is the third or fourth closest approach...
, a small asteroid about 6 m (20 ft) across which came within about 6500 km (4,038.9 mi) in 2004, and is more similar in size to 2004 FH
2004 FH
2004 FH is a near-Earth asteroid that was discovered on March 15, 2004, by the NASA-funded LINEAR asteroid survey. The object is roughly 30 metres in diameter and passed just above the Earth's surface on March 18, 2004, at 22:08 UTC; making it the 11th closest approach to Earth recorded...
. Some scientists speculate that this near-Earth asteroid could return because of the Earth's gravitational pull; some predict the next close encounter of 2009 DD45 with Earth's orbit will be in 2067.
External links
- Universe Today article on 2009 DD45
- 100 meter asteroid will pass Earth Monday!, Phil Plait's Bad Astronomy blog