Asteroid 2016 RB1 to flyby Earth at 0.1 LD on September 7, 2016
Featured image: Asteroid 2016RB1 orbital diagram - September 7, 2016. Credit: NASA/JPL
Newly discovered asteroid 2016 RB1 will make a very close flyby of Earth on September 7, 2016, passing at 0.1 LD (38 400 km / 23 860 miles) from the surface of our planet.
The size of 2016 RB1, based on absolute magnitude, is estimated to be between 7.3 and 16 m (24 to 52 feet). For comparison, this is about half the size of the asteroid that exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia in February 2013, injuring over 1 000 people.
At the moment of its closest approach, around 17:12 UTC tomorrow, 2016 RB1 is expected to flyby Earth at a relative speed of 8.1 km/s. The orbit uncertainty estimate for this object is 8 (on a scale of 0 – 9), highly uncertain.
This Aten class asteroid was first observed by Mt. Lemmon Survey on September 5, 2016.
Asteroid 2016 RB1 orbital diagram for September 7, 2016. Credit: NASA/JPL
Classification: Aten [NEO] – SPK-ID: 3758923
[ Ephemeris | Orbit Diagram | Orbital Elements | Physical Parameters | Close-Approach Data ]
At the flyby time, the asteroid will be visible from the southern hemisphere only, Gianluca Massi of The Virtual Telescope Project said. He managed to track the object on September 6 and take several images.
asteroid #2016RB1 coming exceptionally, but safely at 40.000km from us in less than one day. https://t.co/WJq2mlvId9 pic.twitter.com/RhW5gOArdj
— Virtual Telescope (@VirtualTelescop) September 6, 2016
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I think they would put out a warning only because the survivors (the rest of the world) would be pissed that they knew and didnt tell.
What is really scary about this is that it was only discovered yesterday, the 5th. If this asteroid was two or three times larger and was headed on a collision course with the earth, we would have only 24 hrs. warning at most. Would they even bother?