SPACE
No collision risk from asteroid
A potentially hazardous asteroid nearly the size of Taipei 101 is to zoom past Earth on Friday, but there is no collision risk, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The asteroid, known as 2008 OS7, is to make its closest approach to Earth at 10:40pm on Friday, passing at a distance of 0.019 astronomical units (about 2.85 million kilometers), at a speed of 18.2 kilometers per second, the museum said. Astronomers estimate the asteroid to be about 210m to 480m in diameter, making it nearly the height of the Taipei 101 skyscraper, it said, adding that it would not enter Earth’s atmosphere. Based on information provided by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, five asteroids are to travel close to Earth in the coming days, including 2008 OS7, which has been classified as potentially hazardous because it has a diameter of more than 150m, it said. The next significant approach by a potentially hazardous asteroid would on April 14, 2029, it said.
SOCIETY
Keelung plans Ferris wheel
Keelung Mayor George Hsieh (謝國樑) yesterday unveiled his plan to build a Ferris wheel in the city’s downtown area in a bid to promote tourism. It is to be located in a plaza between Keelung Harbor and Taiwan Railways’ Keelung Station. and is expected to have a diameter of 40m to 60m, Hsieh said. While the cost of the Ferris wheel was not immediately clear, he said that additional funds would be allocated to the project, which would replace the temporary amusement facilities the city government is planning to construct later this year in the same area. The city government is also to develop a business operating model for the Ferris wheel service and aims to allocate time slots for residents to visit, he said.
SOCIETY
Fisher dies at sea
An Indonesian fisher on Monday died after falling into the sea while aboard a ship operating in waters off Penghu County, the Coast Guard Administration’s Fleet Branch Penghu Offshore Flotilla said. The flotilla said it dispatched a patrol boat on Monday night after receiving a request for assistance in the search for a person who had fallen overboard from the Penghu-based Da Jin Man No. 16, which was 60 nautical miles (111.12km) southwest of Cimei Island (七美島). The fishing ship subsequently found the 22-year-old fisher nearby, it said, adding that authorities are examining the body. The ship had one Taiwanese and six Indonesian crew members on board.
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
City buses in Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as the Taipei MRT, would on Saturday begin accepting QR code payments from five electronic payment providers, the Taipei Department of Transportation said yesterday. The new option would allow passengers to use the “transportation QR code” feature from EasyWallet, iPass Money, iCash Pay, Jkopay or PXPay Plus. Passengers should open their preferred electronic payment app, select the “transportation code” — not the regular payment code — unlock it, and scan the code at ticket readers or gates, General Planning Division Director-General Liu Kuo-chu (劉國著) said. People should move through the
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today released images of the military tracking China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements during the latest round of Chinese drills around Taiwan. The PLA began "Justice Mission 2025" drills today, carrying out live-fire drills, simulated strikes on land and maritime targets, and exercises to blockade the nation's main ports. The exercises are to continue tomorrow, with the PLA announcing sea and air space restrictions for five zones around Taiwan for 10 hours starting from 8:30am. The ministry today released images showing a Chinese J-16 fighter jet tracked by a F-16V Block 20 jet and the
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