Small asteroid to whiz past Earth safely

Feb. 4, 2013 ? The small near-Earth asteroid 2012 DA14 will pass very close to Earth on February 15, so close that it will pass inside the ring of geosynchronous weather and communications satellites. NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office can accurately predict the asteroid's path with the observations obtained, and it is therefore known that there is no chance that the asteroid might be on a collision course with Earth. Nevertheless, the flyby will provide a unique opportunity for researchers to study a near-Earth object up close.

Asteroid 2012 DA14 will be closest to Earth on Feb. 15, at about 11:24 a.m. PST (2:24 p.m. EST and 1924 UTC), when it will be at a distance of about 27,700 kilometers (17,200 miles) above Earth's surface. Although this is close enough for the asteroid to pass inside the ring of geosynchronous satellites, located about 35,800 kilometers (22,200 miles) above the equator, it will still be well above the vast majority of satellites, including the International Space Station. At its closest, the asteroid will be only about 1/13th of the distance to the moon. The asteroid will fly by our planet quite rapidly, at a speed of about 17,400 mph (7.8 kilometers per second) in a south-to-north direction with respect to Earth.

Even though 2012 DA14 is coming remarkably close, it will still only appear as a point of light in the biggest of optical telescopes, because of its small size. Based on its brightness, astronomers estimate that it is only about 45 meters (150 feet) across. It will brighten only to magnitude 7.5, too faint to be seen with the naked eye, but easily visible with a good set of binoculars or a small telescope. The best viewing location for the closest approach will be Indonesia, from which the asteroid will be seen to move at a rate of almost 1 degree per minute against the star background. Eastern Europe, Asia and Australia are also well situated to see the asteroid around its closest approach. But by the time Earth rotates enough for observers in the continental United States to have a chance to see the asteroid, it will have receded and faded to about the 11th magnitude. Radar astronomers plan to take images of the asteroid about eight hours after closest approach using the Goldstone antenna in California's Mojave Desert, which is part of NASA's Deep Space Network.

2012 DA14 has not been in the catalogues for very long -- it was discovered in February of 2012 by astronomers at the La Sagra Sky Survey program in southern Spain and reported to the Minor Planet Center, which designates minor bodies in our solar system. At the time of the discovery, the asteroid had just made a fairly distant passage by Earth, about seven times farther than the distance to the moon. Since 2012 DA14's orbital period around the sun has been about 368 days, which is very similar to Earth's, the asteroid made a series of annual close approaches. This year's is the closest approach, and is the closest the asteroid will come for at least three decades. But this encounter will shorten 2012 DA14's orbital period to about 317 days, changing its orbital class from Apollo to Aten, and its future close approaches will follow a different pattern.

This passage of 2012 DA14 by Earth is a record close approach for a known object of this size. A few other known asteroids have flown by Earth even closer, but those asteroids were smaller. On average, we expect an object of this size to get this close to Earth about once every 40 years. An actual Earth collision by an object of this size would be expected much less frequently, about once every 1,200 years, on average.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/xk2rab1oyG8/130204131341.htm

roland martin whitney houston dead at 48 whitney houston dead 2012 whitney houston passed away heartbreak hotel don cornelius whitney houston i will always love you

Biden raises possibility of direct U.S.-Iran talks

MUNICH (Reuters) - The United States is ready for direct talks with Iran if it is serious about negotiations, Vice President Joe Biden said on Saturday, backing bilateral contact many see as crucial to easing a dispute over Tehran's nuclear program.

Speaking at a security conference in Munich, Biden said Iran - which says it is enriching uranium for peaceful energy only - now faced "the most robust sanctions in history" meant to ensure it does not develop nuclear weapons.

"But we have also made clear that Iran's leaders need not sentence their people to economic deprivation and international isolation," Biden said. "There is still time, there is still space for diplomacy backed by pressure to succeed. The ball is in the government of Iran's court."

To date, fitful talks on Iran's nuclear program have been between Tehran and the EU's top diplomat representing six world powers including Washington. But analysts have suggested that with his re-election behind him, President Barack Obama might have more leeway to take on direct negotiations with Iran.

That makes the year ahead critical for chances of overcoming a stand-off which, if left to fester further, could see Iran approach nuclear weapons capability, possibly provoking military action by Israel that could inflame the Middle East.

Progress on Iran would also help ease regional tensions as the United States prepares to pull most combat troops out of Iran's neighbor Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

Asked whether Washington might consider direct talks with Iran to smooth the process, Biden said, "When the Iranian leadership, Supreme Leader (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei), is serious.

"We have made it clear at the outset that we would be prepared to meet bilaterally with the Iranian leadership, we would not make it a secret that we were doing that, we would let our partners know if that occasion presented itself.

"That offer stands, but it must be real and tangible and there has to be an agenda that they are prepared to speak to. We are not just prepared to do it for the exercise."

Negotiations with Iran have so far been overseen by European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on behalf of France, Britain, Germany, China, Russia and the United States. But they have made scant headway, raising fears Iran is simply playing for time while it develops nuclear know-how.

Ashton has asked Iran to hold a round of talks this month and on Friday called on Tehran to abandon plans to install and operate advanced centrifuges that would speed up its ability to enrich uranium - potentially making it easier for it to produce the highly-enriched uranium needed for nuclear weapons.

Many believe no deal is possible without a U.S.-Iranian thaw, requiring direct talks addressing myriad sources of mutual mistrust and hostility lingering since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution and the hostage crisis at the U.S. embassy in Tehran.

Iran has avoided direct, public talks with the United States, though some suggest Tehran would eventually welcome an opportunity to end its international isolation.

Speaking at a news conference in Munich, Republican Senator John McCain said he would have no objection to direct talks but questioned how much these would achieve if fundamental questions over Iran's nuclear program remained unresolved.

"I don't know when we will have direct talks between the United States and Iran. That is a subject for the president of the United States. I don't think anyone here objects to that," he said. But he added, "to have grounds for optimism, I think, would be a mistake."

"DECISIVE YEAR ON IRAN"

With Iran holding its own presidential elections in June, hopes of progress before then are limited.

The United States and its allies, however, do not have an indefinite amount of time to negotiate. Notwithstanding the current stalemate, Iran's nuclear program is advancing and international consensus on sanctions may be hard to maintain.

Israel, which describes the prospect of Iran being able to weaponize enriched uranium as an existential threat, has made clear it would be ready to bomb the nuclear sites of its arch-enemy to prevent that outcome. The United States has also said it would not rule out the use of military force.

Speaking at the Munich conference, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said that "2013 is the decisive year on Iran, especially for political reasons.

"We had elections in the United States and Israel, we will have elections in June in Iran; we see increasing capabilities especially with the issue of enrichment - let us be very frank, we did not have progress in the last 12 months, so it is obvious that we have to use this year.."

Russia, which has been impatient with decades of U.S. hostility to Tehran since its 1979 Islamic Revolution but backed U.N. Security Council sanctions since 2006, repeated on Saturday the need to find a diplomatic solution.

"Iran must know the overall game plan, it must see what is in it for it in this process. We need to convince Iran that this is not about regime change ... this mistrust must be overcome," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the conference.

That comment was echoed by Westerwelle.

"If we want to reach this goal, it would be wrong to discuss all these military options and possibilities. It is now important to focus our whole attention, all our effort for a diplomatic and political solution."

This would have to include a relief from sanctions as well as recognition of Iran's right to enrich uranium to the lower levels needed for civilian nuclear fuel, security analysts say.

Iran made no immediate comment on the possibility of direct talks with the United States, but its foreign minister was due to address the annual Munich Security Conference on Sunday.

(Additional reporting by Alexandra Hudson in Munich; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Jason Webb)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/biden-raises-possibility-direct-u-iran-talks-115816390--business.html

nyc marathon willie nelson khloe kardashian Wreck It Ralph Hunter Hayes Movember USC shooting

Spearheading Ppc Advertising For Small And Mid Size Businesses ...

Saturday, February 2nd, 2013

skill set and expertise in the area of PPC web-based advertising, and clients can leverage the company?s talent pool to come up with customized,

comprehensive, competitively priced, return-on-investment facilitating PPC advertising for small and mid size businesses in North America.

The company?s focus on PPC advertising for small and mid size businesses in North America has seen it work with clients ranging from those selling products

with low dollar values to those selling products in six-figure category. Regardless of the size of the client, SEO 5 Consulting endeavors to help clients

make the most of their online advertising strategies and to unlock new revenue streams.

SEO 5 Consulting?s PPC advertising for small and mid size businesses in North America offers many compelling advantages over those offered by

Click here to view rest of article from original site

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Source: http://www.thmg.com/ppc-tips/spearheading-ppc-advertising-for-small-and-mid-size-businesses/

hard boiled eggs mickelson how to tie a tie sweet potato recipes the sound of music celebration church new york auto show 2012

In Super Bowl broadcast, CBS hopes for history

Baltimore Ravens fan Cal Wheaton looks out toward the Super Bowl XLVII sculpture on a barge along the Riverwalk in New Orleans, Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. The city hosts NFL football's Super Bowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Baltimore Ravens fan Cal Wheaton looks out toward the Super Bowl XLVII sculpture on a barge along the Riverwalk in New Orleans, Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. The city hosts NFL football's Super Bowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Ratings glory hangs in the balance for CBS's broadcast of the Super Bowl.

Three years running, the NFL's championship game has set a viewership record, topped last year by NBC's broadcast to an average audience of 111.3 million people.

But ratings are a mere point of pride for CBS heading into kickoff. The ads have already been sold (some at more than $4 million a pop), so the network can now only hope to put forth its best broadcast and deflect as much of the Super Bowl glow to its other programs and its cable sports network.

After an afternoon of pregame programming, Jim Nantz and Phil Simms will call the game while more than 60 cameras cover the action ? with at least one keeping an eye on the Harbaugh parents.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-02-03-US-Super-Bowl-Broadcast/id-730dfad2963c4b29abf97b88651dc802

new york giants hot wings recipe 7 layer dip recipe chris carter superbowl 2012 kickoff time what time is the super bowl 2012 nfl mvp

Searching For Reliable Fashion Guidance Ideas? Check These Out!

Searching For Reliable Fashion Guidance Ideas? Check These Out!

Have you been happy with your trend know-how? Or do you want help in this department? Whatever your solution, you can always learn more about fashion. Continue studying if you wish to find some wonderful strategies for trend that you?ll have the capacity to use.

By no means use noticeable socks with shorts. Small kids are usually the only real people that can pull off that appear. Regardless if dressing up everyday, make your appearance advanced.

Don?t keep a elegance offer situation as big as a travel suitcase. Select items in many seasonally suitable shades which you like. Also consider your daytime and evening cosmetics habits. Cosmetics can decay as with any other organic material. Moreover, if bacteria have gotten to the item, they may boost while in continuous intervals of not being used.

The foundation is important to the ensemble. A highly-fitting bra will determine your body and search very appealing. You desire any underwear that you just made a decision to wear to offer support and the look of a smooth body. The options of under garments that can supply you with this physique effect are large.

By improving the level of h2o which you consume, it is possible to help safeguard your nails from dryness. Dried up hands and wrists are typically caused by lack of fluids. This really is important when it is frosty and dried out outside. Shea butter works extremely well in your cuticles and fingernails to hydrate them at least once or twice a day. For actually serious hydrating, use the shea butter prior to bed and after that slip on some pure cotton hand protection for any nighttime extended remedy.

When buying clothing, look to see what substance the clothing consists of. Examine the tag to discover the distinct material of the object. In case the garments satisfies now, it may possibly not in shape when you wash it many times. When the materials are inexpensive, very likely to shrink or fray quickly, will not waste your hard earned cash.

Don?t try to get a flawless fashion. Brilliance is not a sensible target. Looking to achieve flawlessness will make you look like you?re trying way too hard. Some of the finest seems originate from individuals, like movie star Kate Moss, who definitely have one particular defect within their seem, like untidy your hair, a piece that isn?t totally buttoned, or footwear that do not match.

Give full attention to accentuating your best characteristics. When you have lengthy thighs and legs, alluring shoulder muscles or some other components which are complementary, once you highlight them you may appearance better and really feel well informed. You can draw a lot of focus by enhancing your very good area, so that you look much better. If you wish to highlight the shoulders and neck area, for example, utilize a motorboat-throat t-shirt. If you want to showcase calves, dress in a pen skirt.

Draw your hair up out of your shoulder blades for a relaxed, but good, appear. Much longer locks really can become a ache to deal with throughout hectic time at work or college. When you?re out from time, set the hair up inside a bun!

If you are a design novice or design expert, being familiar with style will manage to benefit you. These tips may help you continue to be in front of the trend game.

Thanks for reading. The author is a fashion blogger for chic for less. For more posts find it here at chicforless

?

?

Source: http://shopping-product-reviews.com/searching-for-reliable-fashion-guidance-ideas-check-these-out/

occupy oakland morgellons disease arik armstead sag awards red carpet torrey pines nhl all star game 2012 pollyanna

Detroit's Big Three off to fast sales start in 2013

Paul A. Eisenstein , The Detroit Bureau ? ? ? 1 day

U.S. auto sales maintained the strong upward trend that delivered a solid send-off to 2012, with most major manufacturers reporting double-digit gains for January.

A number of manufacturers set new sales records during the first month of 2013, and Detroit makers, in particular, recovered some much-needed momentum. Two of the Detroit Big Three ended last year with market share declines.

Industry observers credit a variety of factors for driving strong demand last month, including an improving economy and a bump in the long-struggling housing market. Notably, January saw demand surge in a variety of different segments, from high-mileage small cars and hybrid vehicles to full-size pickups.

?We?re in a fundamentally sound trajectory,? said Mustafa Mohatarem, the chief economist for General Motors. While the industry is still operating well behind the record 17 million-plus rates experienced during the middle of the last decade, he suggested the modest but steady recovery the industry has been experiencing this cycle ?is much more sustainable? than some of the rapid rebounds of decades past.

Though General Motors did see a rise in sales last year, the maker couldn?t keep up with the overall increase in U.S. demand, watching its market share slip from 18.4 percent in 2011 to 16.9 percent. Senior company officials, including CEO Dan Akerson, have forecast a modest improvement for GM this year, and the maker?s 16 percent jump in January appears to put it on an upward trajectory.

Detroit makers, on the whole, appear to have fared well for the month, with Chrysler also gaining 16 percent and marking its 34th consecutive month-over-month sales gains. The maker scored gains at all of its various brands ? and also saw a jump in demand for the Dodge Dart, a critical new compact model that has lagged in showrooms in recent months, something Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has blamed on a lackluster powertrain lineup.

The Detroit Bureau: Handicapping the Super Bowl Auto Ads

Ford, meanwhile, saw January numbers increase by 22 percent. Ken Czubay, the maker?s chief of U.S. sales, suggested that the company's heavy investment in new products and powertrains ?continues to pay off.?

Ford?s results reveal that the January industry upturn was a broad one. Ford?s small car sales jumped 29 percent, while its various hybrid models were up approximately 350 percent. The midsize Ford Fusion had its best January ever. But the full-size F-Series pickup also gained ground.

Pickups have been especially strong in recent months, even as the overall share of small and alternative-powered vehicles has gained steady ground. That?s little surprise, according to analysts such as Joe Phillippi, of AutoTrends Consulting, who track a close, historic link between the housing market and truck sales. Demand for pickups has also gotten a lift as the East Coast continues to dig out from the devastation of Superstorm Sandy.

Detroit makers aren?t the only ones celebrating January?s sales results. Toyota reported a 27 percent year-over-year increase. "The sales pace we saw in the fourth quarter of last year rolled into January, exceeding our expectations for the industry,? said Bill Fay, general manager of the Japanese maker?s mainstream brand.

The other members of the Japanese Big Three didn?t fare quite so well. Nissan gained a modest 2 percent for the month, that increase largely driven by the latest incarnation of the Pathfinder ? which has migrated from a traditional, truck-based platform to a more nimble and fuel-efficient crossover design.

American Honda reported an overall 12.8 percent gain, though its Acura luxury brand did a wee bit better with the assistance of new products such as the entry luxury ILX.

Luxury makers, in general, did well ? but could have done better, some analysts said. Mercedes-Benz gained 11 percent over year-earlier levels, while Audi was up nearly 6 percent -- but both reported records for January.

The Detroit Bureau: Honda to Integrate Apple Siri Personal Assistant

BMW was up a modest 2.3 percent after finishing 2012 as the nation?s best-selling luxury brand. Some observers suggest the maker?s aggressive end-of-year marketing may have ?pulled forward? sales that might have otherwise been rung up in 2013.

But Jesse Toprak, auto analyst with data tracking firm TrueCar.com, also said that the new tax increases on wealthy buyers may be having a measurable impact on high-line brands going forward.

TrueCar data indicate that buyers actually paid a slight bit less for the average vehicle sold in January, at $30,812, compared with December. But the average transaction price was nonetheless up by $416, or more than 1percent year-over-year.

Meanwhile, with demand helping makers maintain steady production schedules on most key products, they?ve been able to continue a year-long reduction in rebates and other incentives. For the month, such givebacks slid to just $2,274 per vehicle, down from $2,591 in December and $2,481 in January 2012.

The Detroit Bureau: Chrysler Planning 47 New Models Over Next Four Years

Only a few automakers increased givebacks, notably Hyundai, which saw a weak 2 percent gain in sales in January. Like several other makers, however, the Korean brand has warned it could face production-driven limits to its sales if the market continues to heat up too quickly.

Earlier this week, AutoPacific, Inc. predicted the U.S. market would climb to 15.1 million this year following last year?s jump to 14.5 million. But the California-based consulting firm is among the more conservative. Chrysler officials indicated they see a 15.5 million total for 2013 if current trends hold.

Whether they can, of course, is far from certain. The U.S. economy is clearly gaining momentum but there are a variety of ?headwinds,? industry insiders caution. That includes the ongoing rise in petroleum prices ? which could climb even faster in the wake of the explosion at Mexico?s national oil company headquarters and the terrorist attack on the U.S. embassy in Turkey this week.

There?s also the ongoing drag from the European economy. Car sales there fell to their lowest level since 1995 last year and few expect any improvement in 2013. With China also slowing, officials with foreign manufacturers, such as Toyota?s Fay, have said they will be putting even more emphasis on the North American market in the months ahead.

After the sharp cutbacks of the recent recession, the auto industry could translate improved cost-efficiencies into record profits this year ? but should makers decide to battle it out by ramping up incentives, analysts warn, that could stall the ongoing recovery at the bottom line level.

The Detroit Bureau: The 10 Safest and Least-Safe Vehicles on the Road

Copyright 2013 The Detroit Bureau

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/chrysler-posts-highest-january-sales-five-years-1B8209091

jewel san francisco earthquake san francisco earthquake terminator salvation terminator salvation deron williams jarhead

4 arrested for defying San Francisco's nudity ban

San Francisco police make arrests for being naked in public Friday, Feb. 1, 2013, in front of City Hall in San Francisco. Four protesters were arrested entirely in the buff as they took to the steps of San Francisco City Hall in a brazen challenge of the city's ban on public nudity on Friday, the first day it went into effect. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

San Francisco police make arrests for being naked in public Friday, Feb. 1, 2013, in front of City Hall in San Francisco. Four protesters were arrested entirely in the buff as they took to the steps of San Francisco City Hall in a brazen challenge of the city's ban on public nudity on Friday, the first day it went into effect. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

San Francisco police arrest a man for being naked in public Friday, Feb. 1, 2013, in front of City Hall in San Francisco. Four protesters were arrested entirely in the buff as they took to the steps of San Francisco City Hall in a brazen challenge of the city's ban on public nudity on Friday, the first day it went into effect. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Four protesters were arrested entirely in the buff as they took to the steps of San Francisco City Hall in a brazen challenge of the city's ban on public nudity on Friday, the first day it went into effect.

One woman and three men ? one wearing just a mesh thong ? were taken into custody as about a dozen other protesters in various states of undress paraded around with painted slogans on their bodies, holding up signs with messages such as "The Human Body is Beautiful."

Police gave them a 15-minute warning to disperse or put pants on before officers arrested those who failed to cover themselves. The protesters said their arrest would advance the cause of "body freedom."

"No matter what, we're going to continue practicing body freedom," said Gypsy Taub, a mother of two who hosts a local cable program devoted to the nudist cause. "In a society that's repressed and crazy, that glorifies war and at the same time criminalizes the human body ... nudity is a political statement."

In December, the Board of Supervisors voted 7-4 in favor of the ordinance, which prohibits exposed genitals in most public places, including streets, sidewalks and public transit. A federal judge ruled Tuesday that nudity was not protected free speech and upheld San Francisco's ban on most displays of public nudity.

Protesters vowed to appeal the judge's decision.

Police spokesman Albie Esparza said the arrests were simply an attempt to enforce compliance with the law, which the city enacted after residents complained about people in various stages of undress.

"We're not here to arrest and cite people if we don't have to, but if we have to, we will enforce the law," he said. "We want to admonish as many people as possible and try to gain compliance."

Activists challenging the measure also had argued that the ordinance was unfair because it grants exceptions for nudity at permitted public events such as the city's gay pride parade. They complained that forcing people to cover up would undermine San Francisco's reputation as a city without inhibitions.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2013-02-01-Nudity%20Ban/id-44ef5af016794ebd91bcbb7bca10e560

slow jam the news madden cover obama slow jams the news metta world peace ron artest gladys knight private practice