back to article Asteroid Florence buzzes Earth, brings two moons along for the ride

Be glad that the asteroid dubbed “Florence” won't revisit Earth for many, many years: observations during its weekend fly-by revealed that the space-rock is so big it's captured two moons. Sky-watchers have been waiting for Florence (officially 3122 Florence) for some time: it was first spotted in 1981 by astronomer Schelte …

  1. Pen-y-gors

    Schelte Bus ?

    Shouldn't that be Bus Shelter?

    1. Chris G

      Re: Schelte Bus ?

      According to a lot of the 'End times ' crowd on you tube we should have needed more than a bus shelter, many of them were convinced it was going to be a judgement day impact, more of a rupture than a rapture. Can't figure out why they are so keen on our collective doom, unless they think they are going to be the only ones saved.

      Back in the real news, do they have any idea what Florence is made of to give it a high albedo?

      1. Flocke Kroes Silver badge

        Re: only ones saved

        The bible mentions 144,000 people several times. They get some kind of special pass for the afterlife, but there are arguments about exactly what the pass is good for. There are several smallish sects that are convinced they will be the only ones to get into heaven because everyone else got something wrong and will not be included in the 144,000.

        As the end of the world is nigh, you will not need money. Buy guaranteed entry to heaven by sending 1 Bitcoin to ...

        1. TRT Silver badge

          Re: only ones saved

          It's a bus pass.

          1. Aladdin Sane

            Re: only ones saved

            Multi pass!

        2. Alister

          Re: only ones saved

          The bible mentions 144,000 people several times.

          Yes but that was when they could all fit on a single 3.5" floppy disk...

          1. TRT Silver badge

            Re: only ones saved

            Jesus saves! On HD floppy.

            1. Chris G

              Re: only ones saved

              "Jesus saves! On HD floppy."

              But does he back up daily?

            2. Glenturret Single Malt

              Re: only ones saved

              That reminds me of the local Baptist church which has a poster saying "Jesus saves" outside. I always mutter to myself "With whom?" as I go past but have resisted the temptation to add "with Nationwide" or similar.

          2. Dave 32
            Coat

            Re: only ones saved

            "Yes but that was when they could all fit on a single 3.5" floppy disk..."

            Do you think they could double that number if I slipped them a 2.88MB diskette? I think I still have a stack of them....somewhere.

            Dave

            P.S. I'll get my coat. It's the one with the 2.88MB diskettes in the pocket.

            1. Agamemnon

              Re: only ones saved

              Ye Ghads! One of my very first jobs was Beta Testing controllers for the 2.88s. IBM said vaguely "wouldn't it be nice if we had double the capacity for Floppy Disks?" and TEAC and Fujitsu went about killing themselves, and each other, to make it.

              My "Primary OS" at the time was SCO Enterprise, with NT 3.51, Novell, DOS 4/Win 3(something?-ish?) ,Slackware 1, and OS/2 on it ( was busy in my teens, and my machine was all SCSI, so, xNIX) which found and used the drive no problems. OS/2, no sweat. All things Micro and Soft required a damned hammer for the drivers and still wouldn't just sense and use the {edited, this is a family site} drive gemoetry and the controller Tom-Foolery (where waranted).

              My first lesson in: The hardware *works*, these drivers blow. Then came ZIP Disks, which just sort of "Worked"...put that demon to rest.

        3. andy gibson

          Re: only ones saved

          "Buy guaranteed entry to heaven by sending 1 Bitcoin to ..."

          HappyDude, 742 Evergreen Terrace?

          1. Michael H.F. Wilkinson Silver badge
            Happy

            Re: only ones saved

            ... or perhaps mrs Alice Beeblebrox, 108 Astral Crescent, Zoovroozlechester, Betelgueze V

            1. Sir Runcible Spoon
              Joke

              Re: only ones saved

              "108 Astral Crescent, Zoovroozlechester, Betelgueze V"

              What did the Romans ever do to get to Betelgueze...Betelgueze...Betel....

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: only ones saved

                " What did the Romans ever do to get to Betelgueze...Betelgueze...Betel...."

                It may have been the Arabs, methinks, and in any case it's just a corruption of "beetle juice".

                For handy applications, google e.g. "Spanish fly" (which is a beetle).

                1. Aladdin Sane

                  Re: only ones saved

                  Also the source of one of Community's finest ever in-jokes.

      2. LaeMing
        Mushroom

        Re: Schelte Bus ?

        "Can't figure out why they are so keen on our collective doom."

        Have you met humanity?

        (Okay, that's probably not /their/ reason, and to be honest, I am more into doom-by-tragedy -- in the theatrical sense of the word: a fate that would be completely avoidable except for the specific nature of those fated making it inevitable. I already have my box-seat tickets for act two of that one!).

    2. AndrueC Silver badge
      Joke

      Re: Schelte Bus ?

      You wait ages for an asteroid to come past then three come at once.

      1. Mark 85

        Re: Schelte Bus ?

        You wait ages for an asteroid to come past then three come at once.

        And like buses here, none of them stop.

        1. lockeptrv

          Re: Schelte Bus ?

          Good thing for you it's not stopping! LOL.

  2. Harry the Bastard

    i hope the moons are dougal and zebedee

    though it all seems rather roundabout

    1. LesB
      Thumb Up

      Re: i hope the moons are dougal and zebedee

      Magical comments like that make we wish I could give more than one upvote

    2. James Anderson

      Re: i hope the moons are dougal and zebedee

      Surly Brian and Dylan would be better names. Dougal and Zebedee were stars andfar to important to be mere moons?

    3. Arctic fox
      Thumb Up

      Re: i hope the moons are dougal and zebedee

      Well done Harry. I am of an age where the Magic Roundabout was part of my childhood. I laughed like a drain when I read your post. See icon

      1. MyffyW Silver badge

        Re: i hope the moons are dougal and zebedee

        I wonder if there are Soup Dragons on the moons?

    4. SeanEllis

      Re: i hope the moons are dougal and zebedee

      It is possible to lobby the International Astronomical Union for this - they are @IAU_org on Twitter.

  3. wallaby

    If you wait long enough he will turn up with 2 other Astronomers

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What a rubbish artists impression

    Were they paid for that?

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: What a rubbish artists impression

      You can even see the strings holding it up.

    3. R Soles

      Re: What a rubbish artists impression

      Agreed - the Earth as pictured is 5 times too big.

      Holding my iPad at arm's length, the picture of the Earth is about the size of my thumbnail, i.e. it subtends an angle of approx. 1cm / 100 cm = 0.01 radians. (Using small angle approximation).

      The actual angle at closest approach should be approx. 8 000 miles / 4 400 000 miles = 0.002 radians.

      I don't suppose my arm is really 100 cm long, but I was trained in physics, so it's close enough.

      1. Nik 2

        Re: What a rubbish artists impression

        You're looking at the Mobile Phone version of the picture - you need longer arms to properly support the IPad version.

  5. arctic_haze
    Alien

    That's no moon!

    It's a battle station!

    1. Spudley

      Re: That's no moon!

      It's a battle station!

      But clearly not a fully operational one.

      1. BoldMan

        Re: That's no moon!

        and those were Star Destoyers in orbit around it...

  6. Chris G

    Was god a vegetarian

    Most of these asteroids look like potatoes to me.

    1. Alister

      Re: Was god a vegetarian

      You say "potato" I say "asteroid" let's call the whole thing off...

  7. Pompous Git Silver badge

    "Most of these asteroids look like potatoes to me."
    So perhaps Irish, or South American then...

    1. Sir Runcible Spoon
      Joke

      Which is faster...an <arrrgghg>

  8. Barracoder

    That's no moon....

    A ridge around the equator and at least 1 large crater...?

    Gulp.

    1. imanidiot Silver badge

      Re: That's no moon....

      But we all know the Death star had a trench around the equator to make it easier to lob proton torpedoes into the unprotected thermal exhaust port.

  9. Pavlov's obedient mutt
    Facepalm

    a high what?

    my piggy shaped hind brain read, re-read and confirmed to itself that this asteroid somehow has a high libido.. god, its gonna be a long week.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: a high what?

      Well, maybe it does have a high libido, because, if it hits you, it's going to fu....err, well, you know. ;-)

      Anon Y. Mous

  10. Stevie

    Bah!

    Aiee! Fools! Anyone can see this is the opening salvo from Klendathu!

    1. Aladdin Sane

      Re: Bah!

      Would you like to know more?

    2. Chris G

      Re: Bah!

      Klendathu!

      Isn't that a single malt?

  11. Florida1920
    Unhappy

    They don't make 'em like they used to

    The asteroid that created the Chicxulub crater and wiped out the dinosaurs at least had the courtesy to stop here. Now they just moon us as they go by.

    1. Stevie
      Pint

      Re: They don't make 'em like they used to

      ...clever...

  12. Justthefacts Silver badge
    Facepalm

    An Asteroid named Florence

    Well, it's a good thing it missed us.

    Being wiped out by something called Florence would be just sooooo humiliating.

    1. Pompous Git Silver badge

      Re: An Asteroid named Florence

      "Being wiped out by something called Florence would be just sooooo humiliating."
      Oh I dunno,; we'd just be going with the Flo' as it were. In any event, Ms Nightingale's a bit of .a heroine to those of us who like our statistics

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