WHAT: Near Earth Asteroid 2008 TT26
WHEN: October 20/21 and October 22/23
WHERE: Member Channel and SloohRadio
On October 23, 2008, NEO 2008 TT26 will pass less than four lunar distances from our planet, and we‘ll target the event with three Mission Alerts, featuring live missions through the Member Channel and SkyGuide commentary on SloohRadio.
On Monday night, at 21:00 UTC and 02:15 UTC (that’s 5pm EDT and 10:15pm EDT) we’ll observe the approach of this near-Earth asteroid; and then on Wednesday night at 00:30 UTC / 8:30pmEDT, we‘ll witness its actual near-Earth pass. That’s three different alerts, each featuring three back-to-back missions, for plenty of real-time imaging opportunity.
Through the Slooh telescopes, 2008 TT26 will probably appear as a multi-colored segmented line, not as the single star-like object that we often see with more distance asteroids like Ceres and Vesta. Its appearance will illustrate both its close proximity and its speed, with each color filter exposing the quickly moving object in a new location. While even the largest optical telescopes cannot reveal actual physical details of an object like 2008 TT26, it is Slooh’s real-time observations and what the images represent that make events like this such a unique and exciting Slooh experience.
At 49m - 110m (160ft - 360ft) 2008 TT26 is considered a small asteroid. Nonetheless, it is large enough to be potentially devastating in an impact. To compare, Arizona’s Barringer Meteorite Crater was created by a 46m (150ft) object. That impact resulted in a 20-40 ton megablast which produced winds in excess of 1,000km/hour, thermal emission burn damage extending out to 10km, and the scattering of more than 30 tons of iron debris over an eight-mile-wide area. Fifty-thousand years later, there remains a hole nearly one mile wide and 570 feet deep. An impact of this magnitude, today, would destroy a city.
At its closest point, 2008 TT26 will pass within a mere 3.6 LD of our planet. That’s about 860,000 miles or 1.4 million kilometers. Here on Earth, 860,000 miles is a tremendous distance; but in space, 860,000 miles is close enough to warrant legitimate concerns about future passes. Any number of scenarios could influence this near-Earth object’s trajectory and result in a more direct approach toward our planet.
Probably more disconcerting than its size and distance is the discovery date of 2008 TT26, which occurs just fourteen days before its predicted near-Earth pass. Such a timeline, especially with an object the size and distance of this asteroid, underscores the importance of various spaceguard endeavors. What if this object were on a more direct impact path? Would two weeks be enough time to prepare; and what exactly would we do? These are very legitimate, even urgent, questions when one considers Earth’s known impact history and the likelihood of future impacts.
2008 TT26 was discovered October 09 by LINEAR, one of several worldwide spaceguard projects around the globe. The LINEAR project utilizes a pair of Ground-based Electro-Optical Deep Space Surveillance (GEODSS) telescopes located at its Experimental Test Site in Sorocco, New Mexico. LINEAR is an MIT Lincoln Laboratory program and is funded by NASA and the USAF. The project’s stated mission is “to demonstrate the application of technology originally developed for the surveillance of Earth orbiting satellites, to the problem of detecting and cataloging near-Earth asteroids that threaten the Earth.” To date, LINEAR has discovered more than a quarter-million asteroids and over 2,000 near-Earth objects.
Mark your calendar to join one or all three of our Mission Alerts to watch as NEO 2008 TT26 makes its way past our planet next week. We’ll target it through the Slooh telescopes and talk more about it on SloohRadio. If you haven’t yet done so, be sure to visit the Slooh Chatroom. Events like this are much more fun when shared with fellow astronomers and enthusiasts.
TT26 is so new it is not even on NASA’s NEO listing. Good to know LINEAR was on its toes. The most important point here is that two weeks under current preparedness is insufficient lead time for any action but to run and hide. Also, could TT26 have been discovered earlier, or is its size and orbit restrictive in that sense. Herein lies another important consideration. What are we going to do to restore American leadership in technological innovation which is the first step of preparedness for this an other Earth and space bound events.
CORRECTION: In my last comment I stated that TT26 was not on NASA’s NEO listing. It is NOT listed as a PHA (potentially hazardous asteroid) it is listed in their general listing of NEAs. My apologies for this error.