Mike's Astro Photos
Jan.10 2011

Upcoming Close Asteroid Approaches

by , under Misc

Be on the lookout for extra fireballs today and tomorrow. On January 11th, 2011 (tomorrow) 5 different NEOs (Near Earth Asteroids) will fly past Earth. There is an increased chance that fragments from these NEOs may hit Earth, creating large bright green fireballs. Have your cameras ready and please let me know if you see one.

UPCOMING CLOSE APPROACHES TO EARTH

1 AU = ~150 million kilometers
1 LD = Lunar Distance = ~384,000 kilometers

Object
Name
Close
Approach
Date
Miss
Distance
(AU)
Miss
Distance
(LD)
Estimated
Diameter*
H
(mag)
Relative
Velocity
(km/s)
2011-Jan-11
0.0087
3.4
8.8 m – 20 m
27.4
5.56
2011-Jan-11
0.1588
61.8
200 m – 440 m
20.6
17.62
2011-Jan-11
0.0477
18.6
220 m – 480 m
20.4
7.86
2011-Jan-11
0.1710
66.6
100 m – 220 m
22.1
9.30
2011-Jan-11
0.0998
38.8
180 m – 390 m
20.9
7.42
2011-Jan-12
0.1801
70.1
310 m – 690 m
19.7
7.32
2011-Jan-13
0.1848
71.9
52 m – 120 m
23.5
6.58
2011-Jan-18
0.1823
70.9
18 m – 41 m
25.8
9.97
2011-Jan-20
0.1384
53.9
160 m – 360 m
21.1
15.77
2011-Jan-22
0.1647
64.1
110 m – 250 m
21.8
8.59
2011-Jan-22
0.1899
73.9
220 m – 490 m
20.4
17.30
2011-Jan-26
0.1628
63.3
490 m – 1.1 km
18.7
16.61
2011-Jan-31
0.1255
48.8
77 m – 170 m
22.7
8.75
2011-Jan-31
0.0948
36.9
24 m – 53 m
25.2
4.45
NEOs of January 2011 Credit: NASA/JPL 2011
For more information please visit the NASA /JPL NEO siteĀ http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/ca/
Thanks to Dirk Ross @ lunarmeteoritehunters blog for this asteroid alert.
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27 Comments for this entry

  • Casey

    Look on twitter under the hashtag #flashoflight

    Apparently there has been a sighting in Covington Co. Mississippi.

  • Stephanie Vincent

    I saw flashing across the sky. I live in North East Arkansas. Looked like lightning

  • TC

    Wow, pretty impressive prediction, man.

  • Terrie A Martin

    Hello, I am in Pelham, Al. Around 8:50 tonight, I saw an amazingly beautiful object zoom into the earth’s atmosphere. It was a bright green ball surrounded by fire with a long tail to follow! It was awesome!

  • Glen & Anita Adcox

    My husband and I were transfering our herd of boer goats to the barn around 9:00pm Tuesday night. I was standing on the outside of the barn connecting a water hose. Suddenly I a light from behing me appeared so bright that I saw my shadow cast onto the ground before me. I thought my husband was coming toward me with a flashlight. As I looked up and turned to look toward the barn, in the sky I could see from the corner of my eye a bright light fading as quickly as it began. It was so bright it almost had a blue tint. I told my husband what I had just seen and asked him what did he think it was? neither of us really knew. We continued to work with the animals. Within about 10 minutes. I heard a loud roaring noise form the opposit direction of the sky as the light. I could see a huge airplane flying extremely low headed north, it appeared to me that it was decending. However I kept watching the sky northward for an explosion, but it never happened.

  • Kristy

    I was driving on 167 South between Batesville and Bald Knob when i saw what looked like a falling star. As it got closer to the ground, it turned green and got larger with a longer streak behind it, then turned yellow and looked exactly like a “fire ball”. It is something that really should be looked into because it was VERY close to the highway and very close to the ground…lower than the trees. I was on the phone with a coworker when I saw it and was telling her how cool but weird it was. She called me immediately when she saw it on your news. Just thought i would report it. Would love to hear if you are able to confirm it. Thanks, Kristy

  • val

    Yes I saw a blue streak of light in my face and looked up and saw a fireball about 8:50 pm tonight. In waynesboro mississippi all friends on facebook are talkin about the blue light streak. From mississippi to memphis!

  • Tera

    Shortly after 9pm CST, a bright blue-green flash was sighted over Mississippi, which apparently could be seen from Gulfport all the way to Memphis. My sister in Hattiesburg witnessed the meteor, and so did several other people near my home in Oxford, MS – around an hour south of Memphis, TN.

  • Cherrie

    There were bright flashed here in Mississippi after 9 pm. I was just looking it up and saw your site

  • Phyllis Kirby

    http://www.facebook.com/#!/KARK4 Check out this facebook page and comments, there is a witness that described what they saw under “Did you see anything fall from the sky tonight?” Police departments received reports there was even concern that it may have been a plane crash, but the local airport reported no planes were missing.

  • Ed Hogan

    I live in Mississippi in the southern USA. I saw a huge blue light, as did hundreds of others here. I have some friends that actually photographed it. There are thousands of confirmed sitings around the region. The sitings range over a 1000 miles from what I have been able to assertain at this point. Good work on your prediction.

    Ed Hogan

  • Lovebringstruth

    Hey mike, what fragments these meteors?

  • Chris

    I saw a NEO at approximatly 8:52p.m. central time after leaving my night class. This was the first time I’ve ever seen such an amazing meteor with fire and all trailing behind a bright green light.

  • Brandon Adams

    I saw one of these last night about 9pm 1/11/2011. I was looking south from the Memphis International Airport. It had a bright green/blue tail, and blew apart into a bunch of smaller pieces toward the end. It was truly an amazing sight.

  • Sheila Sides

    I actually saw one for the very first time!! Just this morning figured out what it was after reading about it on CNN. I was travelling on Hwy 22A going West when I saw it to my right. It was a bright neon green and had a trail behind it. It looked like orange was falling from it or something. When it disappeared behind the tree line, the whole sky seemed to flash like a quick blink of lightning. There are reports of it being seen in Florida, Biloxi, MS, etc. but apparently it landed in Oklahoma.

  • Morgan

    I live in Jackson, MS and the flash (was bright enough for me to get my butt off the couch to see what was outside. By the time I got to the window it was gone, but I wish I was outside to witness this.

  • Amanda Rogers

    I saw a flash of light outside my window and heard a boom. I live in covington county but have not heard anything else about it.

  • Courtney

    WOW!!! My husband and I were out side around 8:55Pm and saw a bright ball with a red and yellow tail behind it. It was very low right above the tree tops! That was amazing I had never seen anything like it before. I called my mom and if it hadn’t been for my husband as my witness she said she would have thought I was loosing it lol. How often does this happen?

  • Anna

    I saw it last night as i was driving on 95 South in Florida! It was about 8:45pm. It looked like a big red and green fire ball. I called 911 right away to report what i had seen. I didn’t know whether or not it was an aircraft or something.

  • tanner

    omg i was driving home with my dad and all of a sudden a n green and red and blue light fly across the sky and then it was gone it was crazy i said it was stich from lilo and stich haha i cant belive other people saw the asteroids

  • Samantha

    I saw it last night around 8:50 pm I live in Finley, TN. I was sitting outside on the phone with a friend of mine. When I described it to her she thought I was crazy..lol. Glad to know I really wasn’t : ).

  • sally

    I wish I had known about this, would have been watching the sky. It is unfortunate that our news had nothing to say about this event. I heard the news this morning, “did anyone see the sky lit up last night…what was that about?”. Apparently you knew this was coming, why didn’t we? darnit! When is the next one?

  • Amy

    My family saw a bright lightening like flash in the Eastern sky at 6:23 PM on January 12, 2011. Was very much like an explosion should have followed!

  • Nathaniel

    Hello, I saw two consecutive flashes last evening in the sky, not quite straight overhead, but slightly from the southeast. The timing was roughly 6;30 pm, I live north of Browerville MN. They were quite bright, and almost like a spot light being shined at me.

  • Jacquie

    I think on around 1/11/11 I saw two green flashes on a cloudy night in the bay area western coastal norcal; at first I thought it was lightning but then there was no following thunder; then i thought it was local lights; but then another flash that envelopes the entire area; i knew it was something more; now I believe i saw the flash of the meteor which was probably above the clouds but it permeated thru the clouds and i saw the green lights

    Very impressive prediction; how did you do the prediction.

    What about the new one that may hit antarctica this year or next year as predicted on coast to coast; have you have about that one.

    Thanks

  • Jacquie

    Could the meteor shower created a deadly cloud that killed these birds and fish in the same area close to the Mississippi.

  • Brad

    1/19/11- I am in Charlotte and was driving home tonight and saw a very bright green light trailing off toward the horizon at about 9 pm. It looked like a shooting star but much larger, brighter and very green. I haven’t seen any other accounts from charlotte tonight but will keep searching. Very interesting observation Mike. I just got lucky to see it, and its the first one of it’s kinds i have ever seen. It was so close to the horizon i was sure it was going to make contact with the ground nearby. Very cool.

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