Asteroids&Earth

Hear about the close call with the asteroids? – Two of them, within the distance of the moon, 65ft and 46 ft respectively, one around 6 a.m. last Wednesday morning and the other 5:12 in the afternoon.   Up next: Apophis – 1000ft long, w/in 20k mi, April 13th 2029. And yes, it is a Friday – the 13th! No chance it’ll hit us then, but there is currently a 1/10,000 chance for its next pass in 2036. It does pass us w/in observable distance in 2013 and 2021. Ever wonder what the earth weighs? – It’s been put on a scale and it checks in at 6.6 sextillion tons – 6.6 with 20 zeroes after it. Earth gains 100,000 lbs a year (too many carbs!) from meteor and asteroid dust. Today is the 51st anniversary of the 1st man-made object to impact the moon Luna 2. All this and more on this week’s Sky Talk.[audio: st20100913.mp3]