379E-415-Well Done

Once every 1,435 days , a 780 foot diameter space rock that my Catalina Sky Survey teammate Carson Fuls discovered makes an annihilation defying close approach to our star. At it's nearest point to the Sun, Carson's well done space rock is traveling at an amazing 93 miles per second and receives 26 times the amount of solar radiation that heats the surface of the planet Mercury to 800F. After Carson first discovered his heat resistant space rock traveling towards it's next hot date with the Sun, it was observed by telescopes in New Mexico, Arizona, Hawaii, and England. These data allowed scientists at the Minor Planet Center to calculate it's orbit around the Sun, estimate it's size, and give it the name 2017 TC1. 2017 TC1 crosses the orbits of Mars, Earth, Venus, and Mercury and can come relatively close to Jupiter on it's extremely elliptical orbit about the Sun. It is possible that in the very distant past the giant planet Jupiter's pull on 2017 TC1 sent it on it's current path around the Sun. In September of 2021, 2017 TC1 will once again be bright enough for asteroid hunters to track as it makes another close approach to our Sun. At this time astronomers with be able to measure the pattern of colors that 2017 TC1 reflects which will reveal it's surface chemical composition. Until then we are left to wonder how it is possible for a space rock to survive on such a harrowing path.

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