The Asteroid/Comet Connection's
daily news journal about
asteroids, comets, and meteors

Today's issue status: done

• News briefs – planetary humor
• Risk monitoring

Cover: This week began with news of 2003 VB12, possibly the largest Solar System object found since Pluto. Attention soon switched to little 2004 FH making the closest Earth flyby yet observed. But the smallest object discovery announced was 2004 EL20, seen at left from Peter Birtwhistle's confirmation work late Tuesday. JPL puts it at H=26.81, which converts to roughly 15 meters/yards wide.

Planetary humor:  The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has a cute piece today by columnist, Betty Cuniberti, "Be afraid, be very afraid of Sedna."

“ Last week, scientists announced they found Sedna, a round, red, icy thing, a sort of orbiting strawberry margarita... At first I thought it must be something spelled backwards [Andes]... Now the question of whether Sedna is a planet, planetoid or health-insurance company [Aetna] resurrects this entirely unprovoked attack on Pluto. ”

Risk monitoring 21 March

The Minor Planet Center Status Page notes that the Daily Orbit Update MPEC generation run failed overnight and "has been abandoned" for today.

Lance Benner told the Minor Planet Mailing list (MPML) today that a power outage prevented Arecibo from observing 2004 FH by radar.