101955 Bennu

Discussion in 'Astronomy, Exobiology, & Cosmology' started by RainbowSingularity, Sep 4, 2019.

  1. RainbowSingularity Valued Senior Member

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    7,447
    close moon approach
    what is if hits the moon or swings in from the moons gravity ?
    not saying it will but i guess a little of earth and the moons gravity will change its coarse.
    then back around in another 1.2 years...

    280 meters wide
    traveling at 63,000 mph

    traveling at 100800 kilometers per hour

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/101955_Bennu
    Earth MOID0.0032228 au (482,120 km)
     
    Last edited: Sep 4, 2019
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  3. Seattle Valued Senior Member

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    If it hits the Moon then it hits the Moon.
     
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  5. Janus58 Valued Senior Member

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    1.2 years is the period of the orbit. this essentially means that it would return to crossing the Earth's orbital distance 1.2 years later, But then the Earth would be 1/5 of the way around it orbit and some 188 million km away. It would take 6 years for the two to meet again, if its orbital period was exactly 1.2 years long. However, it isn't, its just a bit short of that. So 5 orbits takes a bit less than 6 years, and still misses by some 21 million km. Next close approach is expected in 2060, and the one after that 2135. They do take into account the effects of the Earth's gravity during the passage to calculate future encounters. There is no chance for a collision in 2060 or 2135, but there is a small chance that in 2135, it will pass Earth in just the right way, that the gravitational attraction could put it on a future collision course. This would require it to pass through a very small target or "gravitational keyhole".

    Whenever they calculate the future trajectory of such a body it is in the form of a "future cone". At some future date, the object will be somewhere in that cone. If another body is in that cone as the object was in that part of its trajectory, then a collision is possible, if is is outside the cone, there is no possibility. So in essence, the gravitational keyhole of the 2035 passage is inside of that future cone, and if 101955 Bennu does pass through it, its future cone will shift to include a possible Earth collision at a later encounter.
     
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