Asteroid EG5 close appraoch on April 1 or 2, 2012

[twila_zoned]

Near Earth object EG5 predicted to miss the earth by roughly half the distance between the Earth and the moon on April 1st, 2012. It is roughly the diameter of a football field, and moving at a speed of 8.55 k/s or roughly 320 miles per hour.

According to http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/ca/, which  says it's going to miss us in lunar distance by .6. Lunar distance is 384,000 kilometers, so doing the math puts it according to thier estimate at 230400 kilometers or 143163 mi. and 1623.9 yds

The last tracking code update I see for it is a 7, and in my opinion that's not very good because it means they are still unsure of it's actual path, and looking at the orbital diagram on http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2012%20EG5;orb=1  is slightly unsettling.

I also couldn't help but notice the similarities between EG5 and AG5 and find myself wondering if they aren't possibly one in the same.

The real surprise to me is the lack of media attention to this event, and the absence of it on this site. (and if I somehow missed it I do profoundly apologize, but I'm pretty sure I scoured everything).  It tends to make one wonder if the lack of info is due to the fact that NASA (and others) simply don't have a handle on it yet.


I look forward to any input you may have on the subject!!!

[Ron]

I wasn't aware of it until I read your post

I Googled it and didn't come up with any more than what you have already listed.  I guess it wasn't important enough for the media to give any attention to it.  If you learn any thing else please post it.

Thanks for the heads up.

Ron

[lindendave]

You can find a little more, including a couple JPL sites by adding 2012 in front of EG5.

[Ron]

Thanks Dave,

That did broaden the search a little.

It looks like it might reach almost a 12 mag by Apr 1, which my camera should be able to see.  I know I won't be able to see it but might try with my camera if I can get it pointed in the right direction

Ron

[lindendave]

Keep us posted, I won't be home until the next day about evening.

[twila_zoned]

Thanks for the replies! I've been researching every day, but really haven't seen anything different being mentioned.  Although, Ron, I missed seeing anything about it being a magnitude 12, so I'll be refining my research  protocols for tonight, and thanks!

[Ron]

I have been known to be wrong, an unusual amount of senior moments

The ephemeris generated from the JPL site for April shows a AP mag http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons.cgi#results

Date__(UT)__HR:MN     R.A._(ICRF/J2000.0)_DEC  APmag            delta      deldot    S-O-T /r    S-T-O
2012-Apr-01 07:00  m  12 22 51.40 -49 59 10.5        12.03 0.00161622133218  -2.5231707 134.4637 /T  45.4704

I'm not sure what APmag means

Maybe someone else can jump in here and help and old person suffering from senior moments determine what the mag should be

Ron

[lindendave]

Ron,

If you scroll down below all the data there is a table of column descriptions.

" APmag =
   Asteroid's approximate apparent visual magnitude by following definition:
APmag = H + 5*log10(delta) + 5*log10(r) - 2.5*log10((1-G)*phi1 + G*phi2).
In principle, accurate to ~ +/- 0.1 magnitude. For solar phase angles > 90 deg,
the error could exceed 1 magnitude. No values are output for phase angles
greater than 120 degrees, since the extrapolation error could be large and
unknown.  Units: NONE"

[Ron]

Now I'm confused more than ever

MPC site calls it a MAG of 24.3

Data generated for SN
2012 EG5           24.3     2.220161  0.555378   2.6188  193.1825   14.4045  350.7632  2456000.5

If it's a mage of 24 I'm sure my camera wont see it

Ron

[drclay]

Asteroid 2012 EG5 is one of our scheduled targets for JPL and NASA Arecibo and Goldstone radar imaging; I have been following this rascal for about two weeks now; it is presently mag. 17.0 (this morning) and is brightening currently by about ONE magnitude each night.  So, tonight is about mag. 16.2 or so.

However, as it brightens, it is also getting closer of course and moving increasingly fast.  Exposures last night were limited to 20 seconds with the ASO scope or trailing was evident.  Tonight it will be down to 12 or 15 seconds, and by the end of next week it will show trailing in exposures of less than 2 seconds.

But is it up there and crosses the meridian about 10 p.m. local time and is moving rapdily southward; so when at closest, it will be very far south.

Believe me, by the time it gets close, the cults and the media will be all over it.

Doc

[Ron]

Doc,

I plugged these data in to my SNPP

Mag.       a          e        i       Node        w         L      Epoch
24.3     2.220161  0.555378   2.6188  193.1825   14.4045  350.7632  2456000.5

but the mag comes out as 7.72 in my SNPP.

Where did I go wrong?

Thanks,

Ron

PS looks like the Moon may interfear with my try for a shot, maybe the weather too