Comments on: X Marks the Spot of a Dramatic Asteroid Collision

By: A. Reader

A. Reader — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 03:42:18 +0000

Two asteroids – in the darkness of space!
How frightening! How romantic!

I just thank God that I live on a planet that receives light from the Sun. How horrible it must be drifting endlessly in the horrible “darkness of space”!

Right?

By: Messier Tidy Upper

Messier Tidy Upper — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 14:44:19 +0000

Nice article. Thanks. :-)

Saw this on tonights SBS news (Aussie TV) as well.

By: YouRang

YouRang — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 13:16:03 +0000

It seems pretty clear the smaller object is at the cross of the x and that both objects are shedding medium size stuff which is shedding dust. Oops not medium size (that implies bigger than the smaller asteroid). I meant moderate size stuff–bigger than dust and smaller than the asteroids inch to a meter.

By: Jennifer Welsh

Jennifer Welsh — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 19:42:34 +0000

@Alsid,

Sorry for the confusion, the estimates for the size of the larger asteroid are not certain, and when Phil wrote his post earlier in the year they were even less certain.

NASA’s current estimate is: “The 400-foot-wide object in the Hubble image is the remnant of a slightly larger precursor body. Astronomers think a smaller rock, perhaps 10 to 15 feet wide, slammed into the larger one.” (http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2010/34/text/)

Since we don’t really have a clear estimate of how large the original asteroid was, I went with the 400 foot spec from NASA.

Thanks for reading and commenting! Sorry for the confusion.

Jen

By: Alsid

Alsid — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 19:01:16 +0000

If the original asteroids were 400 feet, and 10-15 feet. How is the one in the image 450 feet across? I’m not a physicist, but in an atomic level explosion I wouldn’t expect the asteroid to grow….

By: Alex

Alex — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 15:33:58 +0000

- Cdn and American astronauts want world to start getting ready for asteroids… VIDEO: Our terrifyingly crowded solar system…CBS News: Jupiter Hit by Large Object, NASA Says…Californian Congressman for Planet X Forsight – The Sky is Falling…Stephen Hawking: “Asteroid Impacts Biggest Threat to Intelligent Life in the Galaxy…Giant propeller structures seen in Saturn’s rings…NASA: Sun’s Nemesis Pelted Earth with Comets, Study Suggests:
http://cristiannegureanu.blogspot.com/2010/09/residents-tell-of-start-of-san-bruno.html