toad.social is one of the many independent Mastodon servers you can use to participate in the fediverse.
Mastodon server operated by David Troy, a tech pioneer and investigative journalist addressing threats to democracy. Thoughtful participation and discussion welcome.

Administered by:

Server stats:

378
active users

#planetarydefence

2 posts1 participant0 posts today
Continued thread

An impact of #asteroid #2024YR4 on the #Moon could be visible from Earth, if it impacts the side that faces us. Additional hazards not mentioned in articles I've seen so far would affect planning for #NASA #Artemis landing missions and Lunar Gateway space station (not yet launched). Some ejecta/debris from the impact would leave the Moon's weak gravity and could threaten Earth or our satellites weeks or months after impact. #astronomy #PlanetaryDefense #PlanetaryDefence #LowFlyingRocks #space

Continued thread

"Asteroid will miss Earth — but may set off lunar light show" by @cosmiclog / @alanboyle - #Asteroid #2024YR4 orbit is understood well enough now that it will not impact Earth in 2032. But it's still close. A lunar impact remains possible, currently at 3.8% probability. The article paints a picture of just a light show visible from Earth. But there are more potential hazards. cosmiclog.com/2025/04/07/aster #astronomy #PlanetaryDefense #PlanetaryDefence #LowFlyingRocks #space

Cosmic Log · Asteroid will miss Earth — but may set off lunar light showAlthough astronomers have ruled out a smash-up between Earth and an asteroid known as 2024 YR4 in the year 2032, the building-sized space rock still has a chance of hitting the moon. In fact, the c…
Continued thread

"James Webb telescope takes emergency look at 'city-killer' asteroid 2024 YR4 ahead of close encounter in 2032" by @LiveScience - #NASA #JWST observations confirm #asteroid #2024YR4 will not impact Earth on the Dec 22, 2032 fly-by. An impact on the #Moon🌒 is still not ruled out. Another JWST observation is scheduled for May before the rock disappears into the dark outer solar system for several years. livescience.com/space/asteroid #astronomy #PlanetaryDefense #PlanetaryDefence #LowFlyingRocks #space

Live Science · James Webb telescope takes emergency look at 'city-killer' asteroid 2024 YR4 ahead of close encounter in 2032By Brandon Specktor
Continued thread

"A Near-Miss with a City-Killer Asteroid Highlights Gaps in Earth’s Defenses" by @SciAm - Increasing capabilities to search for the next wayward #asteroid will mean recurring news like #2024YR4 where a threat is evaluated for potential collision course with Earth. At some point, we will find one headed here. Planning and test exercises try to become prepared for what to do when we know one is coming. scientificamerican.com/article #astronomy #PlanetaryDefense #PlanetaryDefence #LowFlyingRocks #space

Scientific American · How Planetary Defenders Planned to Stop That City-Killer AsteroidBy Robin George Andrews
Continued thread

"Asteroid 2024 YR4 is going to miss Earth, but the story doesn’t end there" by @arstechnica / @sciguyspace - The orbit of #Asteroid #2024YR4 has been narrowed down enough to know it will not hit Earth. Get used to more asteroids being evaluated as potential threats. The good news is that humanity is increasingly able to find these threats which were already out there. Don't be a dinosaur.🦕🦖🌠 arstechnica.com/space/2025/02/ #astronomy #PlanetaryDefense #PlanetaryDefence #LowFlyingRocks #space

Ars Technica · Asteroid 2024 YR4 is going to miss Earth, but the story doesn’t end thereBy Eric Berger
Continued thread

"You’re going to see more ‘city-killer’ asteroids, but fret not, MIT astronomer says" by KTLA Los Angeles - #Astedroid #2024YR4 is a useful example of what we're likely to see more often as astronomers get better equipment to locate rocks that have always been out there but previously passed unseen in the dark. Observation of an asteroid's orbit should look like this each time. ktla.com/news/nationworld/city #astronomy #PlanetaryDefense #PlanetaryDefence #LowFlyingRocks #space

Continued thread

I don't see new news articles yet. But I checked the #NASA JPL data on #asteroid #2024YR4. It has been dropped on the Torino Scale of impact hazards from 1 to 0, previously at 3 when it was in the news. Now 1 in 26000 chance of impact in the 2032 pass. 😌 Still expected to go to zero. Dark skies under a waning moon allowed enough observations to narrow down its orbit before it's too far away from Earth to see for 3 years. #astronomy #PlanetaryDefense #PlanetaryDefence #LowFlyingRocks #space