If you haven’t heard, NASA had spotted an asteroid, known as TB145, on a path for a close pass of the Earth today – ergo the Halloween Asteroid. At about 1.3 moon distances from the Earth, we were in no danger. And, in fact, TB145 has already passed by Earth today with hardly anyone noticing.
According to NASA, the asteroid is estimated to be 2,000 feet wide and traveling at 78,000 miles per hour. Not nearly as big as the one that struck the Earth contributing to the extinction of the Dinosaurs, but it would have had a nasty impact if its course was off by just a little bit.
Of course, Pixar who has made “The Good Dinosaur,” a movie that assumes that Dinosaur killing asteroid never hit the Earth, couldn’t resist having a little fun with the so-called Halloween asteroid. Keep an eye open for new footage:
Peter Sohn, director of Disney•Pixar’s “The Good Dinosaur,” says the event reminds filmmakers of the idea that launched the film, which hits theaters—so to speak—on Nov. 25, 2015.
“This whole thing started off with the idea: What if the asteroid that theoretically wiped out all the dinosaurs 65 million years ago missed? What would have happened?” said Sohn. “We had a lot of fun evolving the dinosaurs. Herbivores became farmers; carnivores became ranchers.”
Thanks to Peter and the team in Emeryville for sharing this trailer. I’m making plans to see The Good Dinosaur as soon as I can (buy your tickets via Fandango and help support The Disney Blog). No asteroids needed.