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"There's supposed to be a Mars-shattering Ka-boom!"

(Posted by adam)
mars-impact.jpg
Here at Emergent Chaos, we're big fans of large objects hitting other large objects at high speed. Which is why it's important to tell you that 2007-WD5 is a 50 meter asteroid that's set to pass within 48,000 kilometers of Mars next month.
"We estimate such impacts occur on Mars every thousand years or so," said Steve Chesley, a scientist at JPL. "If 2007 WD5 were to thump Mars on Jan. 30, we calculate it would hit at about 30,000 miles per hour and might create a crater more than half-a-mile wide." The Mars Rover Opportunity is exploring a crater approximately this size right now. (JPL press release.)
More details about the orbit at the JPL small-body datatbase. Story via VOA news.

Posted by adam on December 22, 2007 at 8:55 PM in Science . You can: comment, view comments (0), see trackbacks (0) or search Technorati.

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