If you are tired of thinking about global warming, terrorist attacks or contracting a deadly new virus, maybe you could get out of your rut by mulling over the possibility that some large celestial body may be on a collision course with our planet.
Last month, the asteroid 2004 XP14 passed some 268,873 miles (432,000 kilometers) from Earth. That distance is slightly greater than that between the Earth and the moon.
Astronomers called it "a close shave in the vastness of outer space."
Fire in the Sky
"It was colored white, green and gold, and lights seemed to blow off it like it was a sparkler," said one observer, Andre Grønmo. "It looked like it was a comet, and it was around four- to five times larger than a plane, and it flew much faster."
A spectacular meteor shower might be in the offing late next summer, SPACE.com has learned.
It may not last very long, but could produce a bevy of bright, swift shooting stars for favorably positioned skywatchers. The prediction is found in a technical report, co-authored by two astronomers who are targeting Sept. 1, 2007 as the date for the potential display.
The meteors are called "Aurigids" because they appear to fan-out from the constellation of Auriga, the Charioteer.
It may not last very long, but could produce a bevy of bright, swift shooting stars for favorably positioned skywatchers. The prediction is found in a technical report, co-authored by two astronomers who are targeting Sept. 1, 2007 as the date for the potential display.
The meteors are called "Aurigids" because they appear to fan-out from the constellation of Auriga, the Charioteer.
It wasn't a satellite.
The U.S. Air Force Space Command, which tracks space movement over North America, said today there has not been a man-made object flying over the Edmonton and northern Alberta region since at least Tuesday.
So that rules out the possibility that a bright fireball seen over Edmonton in broad daylight was that kind of man-made object. A number of Edmontonians spotted a bright fireball low in the sky while driving northbound Wednesday shortly after 1 p.m.
The U.S. Air Force Space Command, which tracks space movement over North America, said today there has not been a man-made object flying over the Edmonton and northern Alberta region since at least Tuesday.
So that rules out the possibility that a bright fireball seen over Edmonton in broad daylight was that kind of man-made object. A number of Edmontonians spotted a bright fireball low in the sky while driving northbound Wednesday shortly after 1 p.m.
Villagers in western India have begun worshipping rock fragments following a meteor shower, a report said Friday.
Residents in Gujarat state's Kutch region have been hunting for meteorite fragments after streaks of light were seen over three heavily populated districts late Monday, the Times of India daily said.
Residents in Gujarat state's Kutch region have been hunting for meteorite fragments after streaks of light were seen over three heavily populated districts late Monday, the Times of India daily said.
AHMEDABAD: Parts of Gujarat's Kutch region experienced what appeared to be a meteor shower, a private channel reported.
STAVANGER, Norway -- A meteorite weighing about 4 pounds landed in western Norway during the weekend -- the second meteoritic impact in Norway within a month.
The meteorite, creating a crater about 10 inches deep, landed Sunday in the yard of a home, but caused no injuries or damage.
The meteorite, creating a crater about 10 inches deep, landed Sunday in the yard of a home, but caused no injuries or damage.
A Kiowa County man said he may have found what could be one of the largest meteorites ever reported.
Don Stimpson said he and Paul Ross were searching Ross' field recently with a giant metal detector when the device made so much noise they thought they'd found an old culvert. Instead, they began digging up pieces of meteorite. "We dug and dug and brought up a 250-pound meteorite," said Stimpson, who had thought the field had been cleared of meteorites. "And then we looked, and there was another one there. We dug it out and...well, wait a minute, there is more. We brought 1,500 pounds of meteorite from that one hole."
Don Stimpson said he and Paul Ross were searching Ross' field recently with a giant metal detector when the device made so much noise they thought they'd found an old culvert. Instead, they began digging up pieces of meteorite. "We dug and dug and brought up a 250-pound meteorite," said Stimpson, who had thought the field had been cleared of meteorites. "And then we looked, and there was another one there. We dug it out and...well, wait a minute, there is more. We brought 1,500 pounds of meteorite from that one hole."
Residents of the Tuscarawas Valley who heard a deafening boom about 12:40 a.m. Monday and stepped outside likely saw what one person described as "a marvelous fireball with red streaks in the sky."
Bob Reed, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, said it probably was a meteor falling through the atmosphere.
"We did receive one call from (Sky Warn) people who were basically wondering what was causing it," he said. "A meteor is the best explanation we can come up with at this point."
Bob Reed, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, said it probably was a meteor falling through the atmosphere.
"We did receive one call from (Sky Warn) people who were basically wondering what was causing it," he said. "A meteor is the best explanation we can come up with at this point."
Huntsville, AL - There's a new crater on the Moon. It's about 14 meters wide, 3 meters deep and precisely one month, eleven days old - and NASA astronomers watched it form. "A meteoroid hit the Moon's Sea of Clouds (Mare Nubium) with 17 billion joules of kinetic energy - that's about the same as 4 tons of TNT," said Bill Cooke, the head of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office at Marshall Space Flight Center.
"The impact created a bright fireball, which we video-recorded using a 10-inch telescope."
"The impact created a bright fireball, which we video-recorded using a 10-inch telescope."
Comment: Comment: This isn't an isolated incident. Check out our "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on my Head" articles on yesterday's Signs page.