No Mars/Asteroid collision this month, sidewalk viewing will proceed as planned :-)

Here is some "hot off the press" space news about the recently discovered asteroid which was expected to pass close to Mars on January 30th. It certainly was an exciting unfolding story! Now the probability of an impact has been reduced to 0.01%. Here is an updated press release dated today: January 9, 2008 http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news156.html "Since our last update, we have received numerous tracking measurements of asteroid 2007 WD5 from four different observatories. These new data have led to a significant reduction in the position uncertainties during the asteroid's close approach to Mars on Jan. 30, 2008. As a result, the impact probability has dropped dramatically, to approximately 0.01% or 1 in 10,000 odds, effectively ruling out the possible collision with Mars. Our best estimate now is that 2007 WD5 will pass about 26,000 km from the planet's center (about 7 Mars radii from the surface) at around 12:00 UTC (4:00 am PST) on Jan. 30th. With 99.7% confidence, the pass should be no closer than 4000 km from the surface." (there's way more info on the link) In case you want to view Mars and the moon again from the old town sidewalks, our next observing dates are Friday January 18th in Pasadena 7-9 p.m. and Saturday January 19th 6:30 - 9 p.m. in Monrovia. If we alter these start times, they'll be posted on the Old Town Sidewalk Astronomy website http://www.otastro.org/ on the top right of the page. If the weather is iffy, check the website for a cancellation blurb. If it's clear tonight, why don't you step out and say hello to Mars, knowing that it won't be getting whacked by a 160 foot diameter asteroid named 2007 WD5 at the end of the month. :-) -- Jane Houston Jones Senior Outreach Specialist, Cassini Program JPL - 4800 Oak Grove Drive, MS 230-205 Pasadena, CA 91109 818-393-6435 jane.h.jones(a)jpl.nasa.gov Cassini SOC http://soc.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm What's Up? http://education.jpl.nasa.gov/amateurastronomy/index.html