First asteroid discovered in 2014 hits earth

[NovaSilisko]

Always fun. Tiny 3m asteroid 2014 AA, first asteroid of the year, and second ever asteroid to impact earth after being discovered (First was 2008 TC3)

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/Small-Asteroid-2014-AA-Hits-Earth-238481431.html

Sadly it most likely went down over the ocean, so no possibility of recovered meteorites.

Also interesting is the orbit:

It's practically a hohhman transfer orbit, although inclined by ~1.7 degrees off the ecliptic. It's unlikely, but it'd be very cool if it ended up being a derelict probe or spent rocket stage coming home after decades.

[Voidryder]

I am always in awe of the wondrous and dynamic Universe in which we live. As we go about our daily routines of morning coffee, work, sharing a laugh with friends, etc the Universe is ever changing. And we humans are no more important than 2014 AA in the grand scheme of all things. It is an amazing and beautiful place in which we live. Just glad we have the technology to enjoy the show.

[miracmert]

I am always in awe of the wondrous and dynamic Universe in which we live. As we go about our daily routines of morning coffee, work, sharing a laugh with friends, etc the Universe is ever changing. And we humans are no more important than 2014 AA in the grand scheme of all things. It is an amazing and beautiful place in which we live. Just glad we have the technology to enjoy the show.

That always amazes me and I wish more people ere thinking like this. Imagine, who would give any value to earning more money, getting a higher chair etc. if they knew and thought about the size of the universe and things happening in it. Colliding galaxies, birth of a star, death of a planet, capture of an asteroid that will become a moon by then, and more and more... They're all happening right now!

Money, status, power they are all too small compared to the universe.

[Thiel]

Money, status, power they are all too small compared to the universe.

But they make wonderful incentives to move technology and science forward.

[-Velocity-]

Maybe it's a derelict Martian Tripod from the invasion of 1898?

[RocketscientistV]

Its probably from mars. What if it was a spacecraft, or carried a virus like the Andromeda Strain.

[NovaSilisko]

I've been looking at the orbital elements and running them backwards, it seems it never really gets very close to mars, although I only ran it back to the mid-60s. But there still are plenty of uncertainties in the orbit http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2014AA;orb=1