HAARP IS ABOUT TO PING AN ASTEROID:
“Researchers from NASA and the University of Alaska are about to perform an unusual radar experiment. They’re going to ping a near-Earth asteroid using shortwave radio. The target is a 500-ft-wide space rock named “2010 XC15.” When it passes by Earth on Tuesday, Dec. 27th, the HAARP array in Alaska will hit it with a pulse of 9.6 MHz radio waves.”
“Radio astronomers ping asteroids all the time. What’s unusual about this experiment is the frequency: 9.6 MHz is hundreds of times lower than typical S-band and X-band frequencies used by other asteroid radars. The goal is to probe the asteroid’s interior.”
This might be an interesting catch on our shortwave receivers?!
(Read the full article at Spaceweather.com)
Robert Gulley, K4PKM, is the author of this post and a regular contributor to the SWLing Post.
Thank you for posting this, Robert! I willl be listening-at least part of that listening window!
I would love to see them get a positive result from this experiment. It provides data for doing comparisons on future objects like other asteroids and comets. My personal viewpoint is that asteroids and comets are not that different from each other other than the comet’s Electrical Discharge, not a dirty snowball. Implication – comets are just as dangerous as asteroids.
I presume you mean noon UTC, or noon AST?
According to the linked spaceweather.com article, “The University of New Mexico Long Wavelength Array near Socorro, NM, and the Owens Valley Radio Observatory Long Wavelength Array near Bishop, CA, will receive the reflected signal.”
So HAARP transmits the signal. Where is it received and how is it synchronized? How are they going to be able to see through the ionospheric distortions?
Curious minds want to know.
Unfortunately, no information on time and duration of the test.
Looks like “2010 XC15” will be the closest between 18:00 and 20:00 UTC but if I read the data right, Alaska will be in position around noon only, so that might be the time to tune in! However, if 2010 XC15 turns out to be just a big crumb of space cheese nothing will be heard. 🙂
I’m having deja vu and hearing woodpeckers in the background.