Subject: A Near Miss From 2017 EA
From: Daniel Adamo <[email-masked]>
To: ATIG <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2017 21:07:34 -0800

ATIG Members-

The article at https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news194.html relates the
brief observational history of near-Earth object (NEO) 2017 EA prior to its
passage only 14,500 km above the Eastern Pacific Ocean on 2 March 2017 at
14:04 UT.  If 2017 EA had reached this point in its heliocentric orbit only
8 to 15 minutes later, a collision with Earth would have occurred.  Because
this NEO is estimated to be only 3 m in diameter, however, such a collision
would have caused no damage on Earth's surface.  The resulting airburst from
2017 EA's destruction in Earth's atmosphere would have generated far less
energy than the Chelyabinsk bolide on 15 February 2013 (reference ATIG
archive #042-Chelyabinsk Bolide Trajectory Reconstruction).

The Chelyabinsk bolide had an estimated diameter of 17 m prior to Earth
encounter.  Its airburst injured over 1100 Chelyabinsk inhabitants in
Russia.  Because this bolide approached Earth from the Sun's direction, it
evaded detection until entering Earth's atmosphere.  In the case of 2017 EA,
Earth was approached from its nightside, and discovery was made 6 hours
before perigee despite this NEO's small size.  Geocentric and heliocentric
plots of 2017 EA's motion are attached.

-Dan