Stop Chucking Those Bloody Rocks

When you monkeys finally realise that 2012 is just another big let-down like 2000 and 2005 then you will be looking for other dates to forecast an ELE. My suggestion would be 2041 and the cause will be Asteroid 2005 YU 55.

If you want a sneak preview of what this lump of rock looks like as it heads towards Earth it will pass closer to Earth than the moon on Tuesday. This will occur at 6:28 p.m. EST (10:28 p.m. BT) on Tuesday, as the rock passes about 201,000 miles (323,469 km) from the planet.

It is the first time since 1976 that an object of this size has passed this closely to the Earth.

The orbit and position of the asteroid, which is about 1,312 feet (400 meters) in diameter. On this occasion there is no chance that this object will collide with the Earth or moon. It will be visible from the planet's northern hemisphere but will be too dim to be seen with the naked eye and you need a half decent telescope.

Click on image for trajectory

The best time to observe it would be in the early evening on November 8 from the East Coast of the United States.


YU 55 has been visiting Earth for thousands of years. Gravitational tugs from the planets occasionally tweak its path sure and it is this that will cause future problems. It is going to hit something pretty soon.


Your 'scientists' (I use that word loosely) have come up with computer models showing the asteroid's path for the next 100 years giving it no chance of it hitting Earth during that time. The trouble is they haven't taken into consideration the effects of Venus' gravitational pull when it passes there in 2029. On 19 January 2029, 2005 YU55 will pass about 0.0019 AU (280,000 km; 180,000 mi) from Venus. This close approach will determine how close the asteroid will pass the Earth in 2041.


The asteroid, which is blacker than charcoal, is what is called a C-type asteroid that is largely made of carbon-based materials and some silicate rock. More information about its composition and structure will be gathered from radar images and chemical studies of its light as the asteroid passes. It will be possible to see details down to a size of about 15 feet (4.5 meters) across on the surface of the asteroid.


NASA is working on a mission to return soil samples from an asteroid known as 1999 RQ36 in 2020, followed by a human mission to another asteroid in the mid-2020s. Japan also plans to launch an asteroid sample return mission in 2018.