Asteroid 2005 YU55 near Earth November 8

Paul A. Heckert

, Astronomy Examiner

November 3, 2011 -

On November 8, 2011 the asteroid 2005 YU55 will come within about 325,000 kilometers (202,000 miles) of Earth's center. This distance is about 85% of the distance between Earth and Moon. Asteroid 2005 YU55 will be far enough from Earth that the close approach will not endanger Earth in any way. The close approach will however offer astronomers an excellent opportunity to study an asteroid at close range.
The orbit of asteroid 2005 YU55 crosses Earth's orbit regularly, which allows for the possibility of a collision on another orbit. Its orbit has been calculated accurately for the next 100 years and 2005 YU55 will not collide with Earth during that time. That is fortunate. According to an article in the November 2011 issue of Sky and Telescope magazine an impact with 2005 YU55 would release in the range of 100 times as much energy as a large hydrogen bomb - equivalent to several thousand tons of TNT.
Unlike most asteroids, which are irregularly shaped, 2005 YU55 is very nearly spherical. 2005 YU55 is about a quarter of a mile in diameter. Its surface is carbonaceous meaning it is covered with carbon and carbon containing compounds. Carbonaceous meteorites have been found to contain amino acids and other organic compounds. It would be interesting to know if 2005 YU55 were similar.
During its closest approach 2005 YU55 will pass through the great square of the constellation Pegasus. Despite its very close proximity to Earth asteroid 2005 YU55 will not be visible to the naked eye. Because it is fairly small and has a dark carbonaceous surface, 2005 YU55 will be about 50 to 100 times too faint with to see with the naked eye. As astronomers measure brightness, it will be magnitude 11.2. Amateur astronomers owning moderately large telescopes can see it. The November 2011 issue of Sky and Telescope magazine has a finding chart for 2005 YU55 on page 53. The asteroid will be distiguishable from faint stars in the field because it will move across the eyepiece field at a noticeable rate.

Tropical Cyclone 03A and Halloween Snow in US

Cantore Finds Jesus in the Thundersnow!

Accuweather Radar Web-tool Best Ever?

I have looked at a lot of crapy radar display services (yea, I am talking to you NWS, and Japan Met Service, as well as Korea, Jamaica, and ESPECIALLY Mexico) over the years.  I think the tool Accuweather has is the best ever.  It utilizes nested zooms, so you go from continental, to regional, to local, in a very friendly environment.  Some kinda geniuses up there in Happy Valley, the Drinking Town with a Football Problem! - HLG

http://www.accuweather.com/us/radar/sir/us_/radar.asp

Congrats to NASA and NOAA on Successful NPP Launch

NPP Launch News

Officials Hail NPP Satellite Launch

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 09:55:34 PM GMT+0900

NASA and NOAA officials congratulated each other this morning following the successful launch of the NPP spacecraft aboard a Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. Ken Schwer, NPP Project Manager, led off a news conference this morning about three hours after liftoff. He will be part of the team who will get the spacecraft checked out during the next several weeks so it can begin its Earth observing mission.

"Now the future of NPP starts and we look forward to NPP touching the rest of the world," Schwer said.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is expected to use the data from NPP as part of its weather forecasting.

NPP will "make America a more weather-ready nation," said Mary Glackin, NOAA's deputy undersecretary for Oceans and Atmosphere.
The NPP spacecraft was launched on-time at 5:48 a.m. EDT.

Four our Snowed-in Fans in the NE USA

This should warm you up, if you have a pulse that is!

October Nor"easters and Flying...

Equals NOT Fun!

Snowstorm Strands JetBlue Passengers on Runway for Seven Hours

Published October 30, 2011

HARTFORD, Conn. –  Flight 504 from Fort Lauderdale could not land at its intended destination, Newark International, due to poor visibility and was forced to divert to Bradley International at around 2:00pm local time, the Hartford Courant reported.

It was not until after 9:00pm that the 126 passengers on board were told buses would be coming to take them to the nearby terminal.

One passenger said people were given no food or water throughout the ordeal and also had to deal with clogged bathrooms.

Andrew Carter, a professional football writer, told the Hartford Courant, "We ran out of water. The bathrooms are all clogged up and disgusting. The power would go off every 45 minutes or so for five minutes or so, and that would freak people out. I've heard about these kind of stories."

Another passenger, Todd Bailey, told WTIC-TV from onboard the stranded plane that the situation was tense.

"People are on their last edge. It's just crazy ... Everybody is freaking out here. They're tired of it."

A JetBlue spokesperson told FOX News Channel, "JetBlue is doing everything possible to ensure our customers affected by today's unusual combination of weather and infrastructure issues are being well cared for. We apologize for the experience.

"We could not deplane the aircraft until it was safe to do so. Once our customers are safely inside the terminal, we will do everything within our power to support them."

A rare and deadly October snowstorm hit a wide swath of the East Coast on Saturday, knocking out power to nearly two million households and causing major travel headaches.