12-10-2003, 04:57 PM
Mitch Battros of ECTV reports that Near Earth Asteroid 2003 XJ-7 passed between Earth and the moon yesterday, coming as close to the Earth as 93,000 miles (150,000 kilometers) at 11 a.m. Pacific/ 2 p.m. Eastern. The asteroid's diameter is 108 feet (33 meters).
2003 XJ-7 was not picked up by the LINEAR minor-planet survey in Socorro, New Mexico, until yesterday. Battros says, "Some 19 hours later, amateur astronomer Peter Birtwhistle of West Berkshire, England, re-imaged it with his 12-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. Because 2003 XJ-7 could be potentially hazardous to Earth at some future approach, refining knowledge of its orbit is urgent." Birtwhistle has posted an animated GIF on his website:
http://www.birtwhi.demon.co.uk/images/2 ... histle.gif
![[Imagen: Asteroid120603.jpg]](http://www.earthfiles.com/Images/news/A/Asteroid120603.jpg)
Near Earth Asteroid "2003 XJ7" photographed
(in front of white arrow) on December 6, 2003, by Peter Birtwhistle,
amateur astronomer, West Berkshire, England, using 12-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope.
mas info:
http://www.earthfiles.com/
2003 XJ-7 was not picked up by the LINEAR minor-planet survey in Socorro, New Mexico, until yesterday. Battros says, "Some 19 hours later, amateur astronomer Peter Birtwhistle of West Berkshire, England, re-imaged it with his 12-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. Because 2003 XJ-7 could be potentially hazardous to Earth at some future approach, refining knowledge of its orbit is urgent." Birtwhistle has posted an animated GIF on his website:
http://www.birtwhi.demon.co.uk/images/2 ... histle.gif
Near Earth Asteroid "2003 XJ7" photographed
(in front of white arrow) on December 6, 2003, by Peter Birtwhistle,
amateur astronomer, West Berkshire, England, using 12-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope.
mas info:
http://www.earthfiles.com/
hock: OOOHhhh! lástima que en la foto no se aprecie mucho que digamos...
ahi si se nota...
, pero en la imagen si se aprecia que pasó un poco cerca :o