Quote:
Originally Posted by RickS
Great catch, Dennis!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gregbradley
OMG. Great image.
How big do you think this object is given the size of it in an image from a nearly 2 metre focal length? It seems like it must be quite large, like several kilometres?
Greg.
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Thanks for your comments Rick and Greg, I appreciate them.
@Greg: From the following website:
"
Estimates of its size range from 197 to 427 feet (60-130 meters), making the May 15 pass one of the closest approaches ever observed of an asteroid of this size.
This asteroid was “lost” and then found again.
The Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona first detected it on November 30, 2010, and astronomers watched it until December 10, when it became too faint to see. They didn’t have enough observations to track its orbit fully and so predict its return.
On May 8, 2018 – almost eight years later – astronomers discovered an asteroid and gave it the temporary designation ZJ99C60. Then they realized it was asteroid 2010 WC9, returning."
http://earthsky.org/space/lost-aster...closely-may-15
Cheers
Dennis