#lowflyingrocks — Public Fediverse posts

"Phew! NASA Rules Out Asteroid Smashup on the Moon in 2032" by @universetoday / @alanboyle - Astronomical observations of #asteroid #2024YR4, including from #NASA #WebbSpaceTelescope🔭 #JWST, refined its orbit estimate to rule out impact with the #Moon on its Dec 22, 2032 flyby. Possibility of Earth impact on that pass was already ruled out in April 2025. The 60m diameter rock would be a serious threat. https://www.universetoday.com/articles/phew-nasa-rules-out-asteroid-smashup-on-the-moon-in-2032 #astronomy #PlanetaryDefense #PlanetaryDefence #LowFlyingRocks #space

"Phew! NASA Rules Out Asteroid Smashup on the Moon in 2032" by @universetoday / @alanboyle - Astronomical observations of #asteroid #2024YR4, including from #NASA #WebbSpaceTelescope🔭 #JWST, refined its orbit estimate to rule out impact with the #Moon on its Dec 22, 2032 flyby. Possibility of Earth impact on that pass was already ruled out in April 2025. The 60m diameter rock would be a serious threat. https://www.universetoday.com/articles/phew-nasa-rules-out-asteroid-smashup-on-the-moon-in-2032 #astronomy #PlanetaryDefense #PlanetaryDefence #LowFlyingRocks #space

"Phew! NASA Rules Out Asteroid Smashup on the Moon in 2032" by @universetoday / @alanboyle - Astronomical observations of #asteroid #2024YR4, including from #NASA #WebbSpaceTelescope🔭 #JWST, refined its orbit estimate to rule out impact with the #Moon on its Dec 22, 2032 flyby. Possibility of Earth impact on that pass was already ruled out in April 2025. The 60m diameter rock would be a serious threat. https://www.universetoday.com/articles/phew-nasa-rules-out-asteroid-smashup-on-the-moon-in-2032 #astronomy #PlanetaryDefense #PlanetaryDefence #LowFlyingRocks #space

"Phew! NASA Rules Out Asteroid Smashup on the Moon in 2032" by @universetoday / @alanboyle - Astronomical observations of #asteroid #2024YR4, including from #NASA #WebbSpaceTelescope🔭 #JWST, refined its orbit estimate to rule out impact with the #Moon on its Dec 22, 2032 flyby. Possibility of Earth impact on that pass was already ruled out in April 2025. The 60m diameter rock would be a serious threat. https://www.universetoday.com/articles/phew-nasa-rules-out-asteroid-smashup-on-the-moon-in-2032 #astronomy #PlanetaryDefense #PlanetaryDefence #LowFlyingRocks #space

"Phew! NASA Rules Out Asteroid Smashup on the Moon in 2032" by @universetoday / @alanboyle - Astronomical observations of #asteroid #2024YR4, including from #NASA #WebbSpaceTelescope🔭 #JWST, refined its orbit estimate to rule out impact with the #Moon on its Dec 22, 2032 flyby. Possibility of Earth impact on that pass was already ruled out in April 2025. The 60m diameter rock would be a serious threat. https://www.universetoday.com/articles/phew-nasa-rules-out-asteroid-smashup-on-the-moon-in-2032 #astronomy #PlanetaryDefense #PlanetaryDefence #LowFlyingRocks #space

"Asteroid 2024 YR4's collision with the moon could create a flash visible from Earth, study finds" by @LiveScience - #Asteroid #2024YR4 was briefly subject of concern until Earth impact was ruled out. It's still being studied for potential impact with the #Moon on Dec 22, 2032. New paper estimates impact areas, all on the side facing Earth. A tiny fraction might be in darkness, visible without optics. https://www.livescience.com/space/asteroids/asteroid-2024-yr4s-collision-with-the-moon-could-create-a-flash-visible-from-earth-study-finds #astronomy #PlanetaryDefense #PlanetaryDefence #LowFlyingRocks #space

"SA Museum investigates whether meteorite collided with car on regional highway" by ABC Australia - Driver and passenger were struck by glass shards when an object made a strong impact on their car north of Adelaide, South Australia. The driver says he probably would have crashed if the Tesla wasn't in self-driving mode. South Australian Museum scientists are examining it. Until then, remember lots of stuff hits cars. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-28/potential-meteorite-fall-augusta-highway-sa-museum-investigates/105942418 #asteroid #meteoroid #astronomy #space #LowFlyingRocks

"Apophis flyby in 2029 will be the first time a potentially hazardous asteroid has been visible to the naked eye" by @LiveScience - #Asteroid #99942Apophis will make a close pass by Earth on April 13, 2029. Earth will not be affected. But scientists are gearing up to observe how Earth's gravity changes the orbit of the asteroid, and possibly deforms its shape. There's so much to learn for #PlanetaryDefense / #PlanetaryDefence for the future. https://www.livescience.com/space/asteroids/apophis-flyby-in-2029-will-be-the-first-time-a-potentially-hazardous-asteroid-has-been-visible-to-the-naked-eye #astronomy #LowFlyingRocks

"Asteroid 2025 OS safely buzzed by Earth this weekend" by EarthSky Science (Fediverse presence not found #FPNF: if you know them, invite them) - On Friday, newly-discovered #Asteroid #2025OS passed by at a distance of 2534mi/4078km from Earth's surface. Very close. But at 3-6m diameter, it isn't a danger. We need more experience catching these before the last moment. https://earthsky.org/space/asteroid-safely-buzzed-earth-this-weekend/ #space #astronomy #LowFlyingRocks

"Bright fireball explodes over Nuevo León, Mexico" by TheWatchers (#FPNF Fediverse presence not found - if you know them, invite them) - A bolide lit up the sky around 2am June 15 in northeastern Mexico. A sonic boom was reported, which indicates it was a somewhat larger asteroid than the small ones that hit Earth's atmosphere nearly every day. These are rare in any given location but weekly to monthly somewhere in the world. https://watchers.news/2025/06/15/bright-fireball-explodes-nuevo-leon-mexico-june-15-2025/ #astronomy #asteroid #LowFlyingRocks

An impact of #asteroid #2024YR4 on the #Moon could be visible from Earth, if it impacts the side that faces us. Additional hazards not mentioned in articles I've seen so far would affect planning for #NASA #Artemis landing missions and Lunar Gateway space station (not yet launched). Some ejecta/debris from the impact would leave the Moon's weak gravity and could threaten Earth or our satellites weeks or months after impact. #astronomy #PlanetaryDefense #PlanetaryDefence #LowFlyingRocks #space

"Asteroid will miss Earth — but may set off lunar light show" by @cosmiclog / @alanboyle - #Asteroid #2024YR4 orbit is understood well enough now that it will not impact Earth in 2032. But it's still close. A lunar impact remains possible, currently at 3.8% probability. The article paints a picture of just a light show visible from Earth. But there are more potential hazards. https://cosmiclog.com/2025/04/07/asteroid-will-miss-earth-but-may-set-off-lunar-light-show/ #astronomy #PlanetaryDefense #PlanetaryDefence #LowFlyingRocks #space

"James Webb telescope takes emergency look at 'city-killer' asteroid 2024 YR4 ahead of close encounter in 2032" by @LiveScience - #NASA #JWST observations confirm #asteroid #2024YR4 will not impact Earth on the Dec 22, 2032 fly-by. An impact on the #Moon🌒 is still not ruled out. Another JWST observation is scheduled for May before the rock disappears into the dark outer solar system for several years. https://www.livescience.com/space/asteroids/james-webb-telescope-takes-emergency-look-at-city-killer-asteroid-2024-yr4-ahead-of-close-encounter-in-2032 #astronomy #PlanetaryDefense #PlanetaryDefence #LowFlyingRocks #space

"A Near-Miss with a City-Killer Asteroid Highlights Gaps in Earth’s Defenses" by @SciAm - Increasing capabilities to search for the next wayward #asteroid will mean recurring news like #2024YR4 where a threat is evaluated for potential collision course with Earth. At some point, we will find one headed here. Planning and test exercises try to become prepared for what to do when we know one is coming. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-planetary-defenders-planned-to-stop-that-city-killer-asteroid/ #astronomy #PlanetaryDefense #PlanetaryDefence #LowFlyingRocks #space

"Asteroid 2024 YR4 is going to miss Earth, but the story doesn’t end there" by @arstechnica / @sciguyspace - The orbit of #Asteroid #2024YR4 has been narrowed down enough to know it will not hit Earth. Get used to more asteroids being evaluated as potential threats. The good news is that humanity is increasingly able to find these threats which were already out there. Don't be a dinosaur.🦕🦖🌠 https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/02/asteroid-2024-yr4-may-be-a-dud-but-we-will-soon-find-many-more-threats/ #astronomy #PlanetaryDefense #PlanetaryDefence #LowFlyingRocks #space

"You’re going to see more ‘city-killer’ asteroids, but fret not, MIT astronomer says" by KTLA Los Angeles - #Asteroid #2024YR4 is a useful example of what we're likely to see more often as astronomers get better equipment to locate rocks that have always been out there but previously passed unseen in the dark. Observation of an asteroid's orbit should look like this each time. https://ktla.com/news/nationworld/city-killer-asteroids-more-common/ #astronomy #PlanetaryDefense #PlanetaryDefence #LowFlyingRocks #space

I don't see new news articles yet. But I checked the #NASA JPL data on #asteroid #2024YR4. It has been dropped on the Torino Scale of impact hazards from 1 to 0, previously at 3 when it was in the news. Now 1 in 26000 chance of impact in the 2032 pass. 😌 Still expected to go to zero. Dark skies under a waning moon allowed enough observations to narrow down its orbit before it's too far away from Earth to see for 3 years. #astronomy #PlanetaryDefense #PlanetaryDefence #LowFlyingRocks #space

"Astronomers just deleted an asteroid because it turned out to be [he who shall not be named]’s Tesla Roadster" by Astronomy Magazine (apparently inactive acct @astronomymag if you know them, bug them to reactivate) - #Asteroid #2018CN41 was "discovered" and then deleted because it's a car. The car was used as a dummy weight for the initial demonstration launch of Falcon Heavy in 2018. https://www.astronomy.com/science/astronomers-just-deleted-an-asteroid-because-it-turned-out-to-be-elon-musks-tesla-roadster/ #astronomy #traffic #LowFlyingRocks #HighFlyingCars