When
7 p.m., Oct. 19, 2009
Where
Kuiper Space Sciences 308
presented by Ed Beshore, Senior Research Scientist
On October 5, 2008, the Catalina Sky Survey discovered 2008 TC3, the first asteroid with a 100% certainty of colliding with the Earth. Just 17 hours after its discovery, it fell harmlessly in the desert of northern Sudan after being observed over 570 times by amateurs and professionals around the world. A few months later, fragments were collected in the Sudanese desert. Come hear the story about TC3 and the unique opportunity it provided planetary scientists. We will also discuss the search for dangerous asteroids, and some thoughts on what might be done if we find one that threatens the Earth.
On October 5, 2008, the Catalina Sky Survey discovered 2008 TC3, the first asteroid with a 100% certainty of colliding with the Earth. Just 17 hours after its discovery, it fell harmlessly in the desert of northern Sudan after being observed over 570 times by amateurs and professionals around the world. A few months later, fragments were collected in the Sudanese desert. Come hear the story about TC3 and the unique opportunity it provided planetary scientists. We will also discuss the search for dangerous asteroids, and some thoughts on what might be done if we find one that threatens the Earth.