Yesterday it had the asteroid @.0045 AU 1-29-08 @1200 NOON. Today it is @.0038 AU 1-29-08 @ 1200 NOON. Why the big change? :shrug: http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2007 TU24;orb=1
Hum, i don't know, but i would guess that someone updated the ephemeris, as new observations refined the orbit data.
For those who dont know, on Jan. 29, 2008, the 405m-wide asteroid, 2007 TU24, will make a close flyby (384401 km, 1.4 lunar distances) of the Earth. The asteroid will appear as a magnitude 10.4 star in the constellation Cassiopeia.
Hum, Well it`s big, and it will be bright. But for most people its boring unless its on a collision course with earth. So probably not.
http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/css/css_sss_newdisc.html PHAsDesig. EMoid q Q H M Peri. Node Incl. e a Opps. 2007 TU24 0.00096 0.947 3.059 20.1 334.7 333.7 127.0 5.8 0.527 2.003 ( 8d) E2007-U25
New numbers coming in daily now! Goldstone is scared now! Goldstone Asteroid Schedule Upcoming Goldstone Observations Last update: 2008 January 15 Needs Needs Physical Target Astrometry? Observations? 2008 Jan 23 2007 TU24 Yes Yes Scheduled. Extremely strong target. Also scheduled at Arecibo. http://echo.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroids/goldstone_asteroid_schedule.html
2007 TU24 Planning Background Instructions Goldstone Masterlog -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Background 2007 TU24 was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey (Arizona) on October 11, 2007. This object's 1.4-lunar-distance approach on Jan. 29 is the closest for any known Potentially Hazardous Asteroid until 2027. At this writing, the object's orbit is too uncertain to identify post-2008 close Earth approaches, but radar astrometry probably may allow prediction of any close approaches centuries into the future. Apart from its absolute visual magnitude (H = 20.1, implying a diameter ~0.3 km if it has a typical S-class albedo), nothing is known about TU24's physical properties, but the expected echo signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) almost certainly will suffice for high-resolution using Arecibo or Goldstone. Goldstone observations are scheduled on January 23 and Arecibo observations are scheduled on January 27-28 and February 1-4. Note that Goldstone observations straddle the January 23-24 date boundary; This object will brighten to about 11th magnitude in late January when it will be a target for photometric and spectroscopic observations. Orbital and Physical Characteristics orbit type Apollo semimajor axis 2.010 AU eccentricity 0.529 inclination 5.8° perihelion distance 0.947 AU aphelion distance 3.073 AU absolute magnitude (H) 20.1 diameter 300 meters +- a factor of two rotation period unknown pole direction unknown lightcurve amplitude unknown spectral class unknown Last update: 2008 January 15
Aww... Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! I have to stop getting my hopes up every time.
Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., have obtained the first images of asteroid 2007 TU24 using high-resolution radar data. The data indicate the asteroid is somewhat asymmetrical in shape, with a diameter roughly 250 metres in size. Source IMAGE (83kb, 584 x 278) Low-resolution radar images of asteroid 2007 TU24 that were taken over a few hours by the Goldstone Solar System Radar Telescope. Credit NASA/JPL-Caltech
