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Want to See an Asteroid the Size of a Skyscraper Flying by Earth? Here’s the Vid.

Sep. 14, 2012 8:52am Liz Klimas

Thursday night, an asteroid only discovered a couple weeks ago made a pass by Earth and the SLOOH Space Camera caught it all on video.

Asteroid 2012 QG42, which is between 625 feet to 1,400 feet wide, is described as the size of three football fields or a 14-story building or the Eiffel Tower. According to Wired, the asteroid spotted coming toward us on Aug. 26 flew by at 25,000 mph and was considered “potentially” dangerous. This means that while it wasn’t a risk for hitting Earth last night but it could meet with us again while in orbit in the future.

Recently Discovered Asteroid 2012 QG42 Flew at Closest Point by Earth Thursday Night

The small, round dot among the stars flying by is asteroid 2012 QG42. (Image: YouTube screenshot)

Space.com reports that the asteroid was a “safe distance” from Earth — 7.5 times the Earth-to-Moon distance away (the moon is 238,000 from Earth).

“Near Earth Objects have been whizzing past us lately, undetected until they have been practically on top of us. This illustrates the need for continued and improved monitoring for our own future safety,” Bob Berman, a Slooh editor and Astronomy Magazine columnist, said in a statement according to Space.com. “It is not a question of if, but when such an object will hit us, and how large and fast it may be going.”

Bergman, along with Patrick Paolucci and Paul Cox, conducted a live webcast last night of the asteroid passing at its closest point to Earth from the SLOOH Space Camera in the Canary Islands.

In the description of one of the videos posted by Cox, he calls it a “tricky target to image” and states that the “asteroid is the point of light in the center of the image – the lines are the streaked background stars behind.” Watch this shortened time-lapse pulled together from that webcast:

Here’s the full more than an hour long webcast with information about SLOOH itself, the asteroid and the telescope making the observation:

In case you’re interested in seeing the orbit path of 2012 QG42, check out this animation:

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Comments (97)

christos
Posted on September 14, 2012 at 4:42pm
Next time +JESUS+GOD+ throw one at you it will get your attention,,,,I Pray +JESUS+GOD+ throws Fire & Stones from Heaven at any Enemies of Israel & U.S. in +JESUS+ name I pray Amen.

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- Chuck Stein
  Posted on September 15, 2012 at 4:34am
  Sure would be interesting if the Kaaba (itself a meteorite) were to be struck by another meteorite, wouldn’t it?
  
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Case_Logic
Posted on September 14, 2012 at 4:04pm
Warning! Warning! Warning!

Global warming attracts comets!

They are attracted to CO2 emissions!

Run for your lives!

Give all your money to Al Gore… because he wants it!

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- MrObvious
  Posted on September 15, 2012 at 10:44am
  Hey, don’t give the IPCC any more ideas.
  
  Report this comment
- Sara123
  Posted on September 15, 2012 at 7:04pm
  I saw it on the video. It was teeny. :)
  
  Report this comment
- GJPinks
  Posted on September 16, 2012 at 9:25am
  I am more concerned about the declining level of sun light we are receiving. I recently noted that we are receiving less sunlight everyday. This is obviously caused by pollution. At this rate , by this time next year there will be no sunlight at all.
  
  On the other hand Obamas unemployment is over 15%(U6)
  
  Report this comment
jimbo_from_suwanee
Posted on September 14, 2012 at 2:25pm
I blame this danger on George W. Bush. If he had not upset the natural order of the universe, and cut taxes, the Asteroid would not be crossing the path of the orbit of earth. We cannon under estimate the troubles Obama inherited. (….Thought I would beat the liberals to it, since they were trying to come up with the lie to do the blame thing.)

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- Al J Zira
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 2:57pm
  You’re exactly right. This is Bush’s fault. And in a trillion years when the sun turns into a supernova and fries everyone on the planet, that too will be Bush’s fault.
  
  This illustrates the need for continued and improved monitoring for our own future safety,” Bob Berman,
  
  Just curious what old Bob would do about it?
  
  Report this comment
- oceanbnd
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 3:17pm
  Awesome…It’s all Bush’s fault…hahahahaha
  
  Report this comment
- CHUBADAMS
  Posted on September 15, 2012 at 12:26pm
  Bush new about this Asteroid and refused to do anything about it. Thanks to Obama, he has avoided it from becoming a direct hit.
  
  Report this comment
Epic Fail
Posted on September 14, 2012 at 2:20pm
As long as it hits California, then we’ll be ok…

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- oceanbnd
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 3:19pm
  Why not New York as well? That would be beautiful
  
  Report this comment
- A. James
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 6:28pm
  Fine, fine! So we can all agree, let’s just have the asteroid split in half and hit the aforementioned states.
  
  Report this comment
- Donttredonme
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 6:58pm
  you guys must have loved 9/11 then
  
  Report this comment
- Donttredonme
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 7:00pm
  ….dumb rednecks
  
  Report this comment
- country_hick
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 9:58pm
  DONTTREDONME:
  
  Don’t blame them for not knowing the damge that would be caused by a strike of that size. They were probably educated in a school system that ranks somewhere at or below 29th in the world in science.
  
  FYI – 2010 JK1 will pass at 9.3 LD on Nov 25th. But it is only a baby at 56 meters.
  
  Report this comment
- Anonymous T. Irrelevant
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 11:20pm
  I thought that NASA had the ability to track every little piece of space junk floating in orbit? Can’t they see things like this coming?
  
  Report this comment
- REAL
  Posted on September 15, 2012 at 11:47am
  @OCEAN….
  Why not DC?? talk about a problem solver!!
  
  Report this comment
- RavenGlenn
  Posted on September 15, 2012 at 8:07pm
  Actually, Anonymous, NASA does know where bodies near us are. They have an entire website up of every body that will come ‘near’ to the Earth with dates and times of when it will happen.
  
  Report this comment
MN NICE
Posted on September 14, 2012 at 2:07pm
Wouldn’t be enough time to get into shape… So somebody else would have to bend over and kiss my a$$ goodbye…

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- Case_Logic
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 4:06pm
  LOL, good one
  
  Report this comment
universalphilos
Posted on September 14, 2012 at 1:09pm
December 7, 1973, speaking of a new comet, Kohoutek, and other signs in the heavens: “For from the heavens thy shall find within your Book is written that the stars shall fall from the heavens, and the earth shall be cleansed and a new Messiah shall be born upon your earth.” [See The Revelation, chapter 12.]
“Soon you shall celebrate the birth of the one known as Jesus Christ. He said unto those who would listen, ‘Look unto the heavens, and ye shall know that I shall return upon the earth. Therefore, be good shepherds unto your flocks and tend my fields.’” [See Acts 1:6-11 and John 21:15-17.]
“We are here but for one purpose, that is the preparation for the coming of the Messiah.”

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- holy ghostbuster
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 11:19pm
  Geez!
  
  Report this comment
BasketFullOfPuppies
Posted on September 14, 2012 at 12:26pm
I disagree with the guy at Slooh. Having advance warning about an impending impact sounds like such a great idea, until you consider the consequences… First off, it’s HIGHLY unlikely that we’ll be able to do anything about it. Secondly, do you really want to see what’s going to happen for, let’s say, the week before impact, when there is purportedly no reason to have morals or follow laws? The really interesting thing would be to see how people react if they live and have to live with the destruction AND the consequences of their actions BEFORE the disaster.

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- d.justins
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 12:56pm
  Exactly what i thought when i read this.
  
  Report this comment
- tcpipman
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 1:01pm
  Actually I want to know within a close enough area when a ELE astroid is heading our way … I am going to get my lawn chair and put right underneath the impact zone …just to make sure I go out with a bang.. (same for Global Nuclear War)… I mean really you want to live after something like that and what will happen ..
  
  Report this comment
- BSdetector
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 1:12pm
  C’mon, you guys would really just roll over and die? That’s Obamalogic…
  I for one, would like to know all about it and try my @$$ off to survive.
  
  Report this comment
- BearMtBiker
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 1:59pm
  TC & BS- No, I wouldn’t want to sit right under it, on the other hand, if the impact was on the other side of the planet from us, we might survive- albeit for a while. We Humans are too much of a meaty- water balloon to survive gross changes in our planet’s atmosphere,(Temp. Composition, etc.). The same problems we have going into Space for long periods of survival.
  
  Report this comment
- drphil69
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 2:12pm
  Ditto.
  
  Report this comment
- sasquatch08
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 2:47pm
  So just because they’re difficult to detect NOW, and almost impossible to stop NOW that’s a good reason not to bother with anything that in the future might be able to detect and stop them?
  
  I agree with BS: that’s Obamalogic.
  
  Obviously, since large objects (“planet killers”) on an actual collision course with Earth are fairly rare, but will happen again, the answer is to figure out how to detect them and change their flight path so that in the future we can all rest easy.
  
  Report this comment
- chips1
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 10:24pm
  The real secret to survival is SPAM and Dinty Moore Stew.
  
  Report this comment
- The Jewish Avenger
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 11:32pm
  Also if obama goons find out that you figured out how to survive… your stuff is instantly theirs.
  
  Report this comment
- MrObvious
  Posted on September 15, 2012 at 10:50am
  We can just have Obama apologize for it.
  After all, asteroids are peaceful rocks.
  We should spend $ to try and be friends with them.
  
  Report this comment
bankerpapaw
Posted on September 14, 2012 at 11:58am
The State Department knew about the potential danger, but they didn’t tell anyone. Just like they
didn’t tell the the Libyan embassy about potential danger.

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Silvertruth
Posted on September 14, 2012 at 11:24am
Not a planet killer but certainly dangerous to a city with a direct hit (which despite Hollywood hype, is a rare chance). We are a little overdue for a major strike, but it’s kind of like expecting “The Big One” in Calfornia, you know it’s going to happen.

As for ‘nudging’ asteroids around, not probable unles you have significant advanced warning or such a system in place (which we don’t). We barely have our first contact with an asteroid under our belts. It bill be at least a decade and a lot of money this administration will NOT spend to get such a system in place.

In essence, enjoy the fireworks when they come and just hope you are doing it from a significant distance!

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Dont-hate-on-me-2
Posted on September 14, 2012 at 11:10am
Anyone here hear about this before today?

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- armyofnibiru
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 5:43pm
  just wait for nibiru…aka…[planet x]…
  
  Report this comment
The Third Archon
Posted on September 14, 2012 at 10:46am
If you impart force to a moving object in space far enough out, it need only be as strong as breathing on it (obviously you wouldn’t really do that–just an illustration) to radically change the whole trajectory.down the line. For example, with enough early warning, we could sink rockets into the asteroid and use the the thrust to move it a few inches for a couple days, and that could make the entire difference over whether or not it collides with another object (say, Earth). The REAL danger is if we DON’T see it coming early enough.

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- Redsbengalsbucks
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 12:00pm
  Worst case scenario is that they do all that and miscalculate. Moving the rock just enough to have a direct hit. You do know that missions like that tend to have high probabilites of failure, right. Hopefully by the time something is needed to be done they have already attempted to nudge a space body for practice.
  
  Report this comment
- 00100111
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 1:47pm
  Sorry to inform you, but Armageddon and Deep Impact were just movies. They weren’t a “How to”. I know libs get their “scientific data” from Hollywood, but you need to think a bit deeper.
  
  Report this comment
- Billca
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 5:29pm
  Correct, as far as it goes. Detection at a distance is one thing, being prepared to get any kind of device “out there” far enough is another. It actually wouldn’t take very much to divert a body’s trajectory if you do it well enough in advance. Like a rifle shooter, a 1/8″ misalignment of sights at 1,000 yards causes a miss while at 200 yards it only moves impact 4″. One plan had a craft harpoon the body and winch itself down (due to microgravity) and once there use a small nuclear reactor to pump powerful lasers to vaporize part of the body, creating lateral thrust for a week or more.
  
  The problem is that we don’t have fast enough transport to get out to, say Jupiter’s orbit in order to make this plan work. Plans need to be made and executed for an orbiting station where rocket sections can be assembled and launched above the biggest part of Earth’s gravity well. This allows the same amount of fuel to be used to accelerate over a longer period to a much higher speed.
  
  Sadly, there are suicidal libs who would rather spend that money on saving rain forests or endangered blind spiders — that will be obliterated if that celestial body even grazes the earth.
  
  Report this comment
- Spirit 72
  Posted on September 15, 2012 at 1:45pm
  Grant-hungry “scientists” will stop at nothing to cause fear.
  I would rather not know.
  
  Dont wanna die all tensed up.
  Just wanna go meet my Maker at the appointed time, thank you.
  
  Report this comment
SHOOTnCRASH
Posted on September 14, 2012 at 10:39am
We need a good smacking around by the cosmos.

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- Cesium
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 2:10pm
  Well I’m part of the cosmos too.. I’ll smack you around for free..
  
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- TIME_THE_AVENGER
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 4:31pm
  Good one Cesium. LOL!
  
  Report this comment
Rolandd
Posted on September 14, 2012 at 10:22am
It may not be an ELE but, it’ll put a GREAT BIG hole in the earth. That will probably ruin a lot of peoples decade.

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- integrican
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 12:22pm
  I have it on good authority and the word is out, it would reverse the effects of global warming. But, to be totally effective, it must strike the Middle East region directly.
  (<;
  
  Report this comment
GuardianAtTheGate
Posted on September 14, 2012 at 10:13am
And the scary part is, this thing just popped onto the scene about a month ago out of nowhere. So, we’ll have about a month’s notice for the one that pops out of nowhere headed for earth?

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breakobamanow
Posted on September 14, 2012 at 10:12am
For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me.
Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know. Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail. Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee. (Isaiah 47:10-13)

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- SquareHead
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 10:24am
  Amen to that. I pray people will turn back to the God of the Bible.
  
  John:
  Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
  Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
  Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
  Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
  Joh 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
  Joh 1:6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
  Joh 1:7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
  Joh 1:8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
  Joh 1:9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
  Joh 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
  Joh 1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
  Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
  Joh 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
  Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
  Joh 1:15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he wa
  
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- tankyjo
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 10:35am
  Yup!!!!!!!!
  
  Report this comment
- WhiteFang
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 11:05am
  Squarehead,
  
  John 1:14 So the Word became flesh and resided among us, and we had a view of his glory, a glory such as belongs to an only‐begotten son from a father; and he was full of undeserved kindness and truth. (NWT)
  
  For clarification, Jesus is the Son of God. This is clear from all scripture written by John. – John 1:14, 18
  
  Report this comment
- Cesium
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 2:12pm
  @square head.. you also better pray the non believing atheist heathen scientists figure out a way to deflect such objects.
  
  Report this comment
bobad
Posted on September 14, 2012 at 9:50am
Still worried about running out of oil?

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Jezreel
Posted on September 14, 2012 at 9:49am
Our earth deserves a bit of burning up. Prophesy in the book of Revelation of Jesus Christ tells us that there will be a mountain burning like fire that shall fall upon the earth. All these underground shelters and cities that the elites are building will not save them from the wrath of God.

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- watersRpeople
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 10:01am
  It already fell on the earth, didn’t you see it? It made people say “Oh global cooling, uh I mean global warming, uh climate change.”
  
  Report this comment
- watersRpeople
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 10:03am
  Like John Denver said: I’ve seen it raining fire in the sky.
  
  Report this comment
- holy ghostbuster
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 11:21pm
  “Our earth deserves a bit of burning up” Really? Does that include you too?
  
  Report this comment
Slowman101
Posted on September 14, 2012 at 9:43am
Something like that gave the dinosaurs a VERY bad day.

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- urnokid
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 7:09pm
  heck, I had asstroids once. Didn’t kill me.
  
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- chips1
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 10:31pm
  Are you suggesting we launch a huge tube of Preparation H?
  
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thegreatcarnac
Posted on September 14, 2012 at 9:41am
An asteroid of that size hitting the earth would mess up my golf game.

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Tigress1
Posted on September 14, 2012 at 9:24am
Awww. It’s just a dot. ;)

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scrapadapolis
Posted on September 14, 2012 at 9:16am
Your kidding me right?It’s so animated..

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HMWastedDays
Posted on September 14, 2012 at 9:15am
“[T]he moon is 238,000 from Earth.” 238,000 what?! 238,000 fathoms?! Parsecs?! Kilometers?! Miles?! If anyone cares, it’s miles.

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- DDD
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 10:10am
  Thank you, Oh Supreme Spellchecker! We never would have figured that one out.
  
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Mr.Fitnah
Posted on September 14, 2012 at 9:02am
Asteroid 2012 QG42, which is between 625 feet to 1,400 feet wide, is described as the size of three football fields or a 14-story building or the Eiffel Tower.

Let me know when you figure out how big it is .

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- watersRpeople
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 9:39am
  Maybe they mean 14 generations?
  
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- wuggly ump
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 11:17am
  If you’re standing under it on impact I don’t think it will matter.
  
  Report this comment
watersRpeople
Posted on September 14, 2012 at 9:00am
Depending on it’s speed, and Orbit of the planets around the sun – that asteroid can be catapulted into the hundreds of thousands of mph range. Don’t you know that’s David’s sling?

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- watersRpeople
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 9:18am
  It’s note worthy to mention it didn’t work out well for the dinosaurs.
  
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- Zipit
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 12:24pm
  Waters! Do you just walk around all day talking to yourself!
  
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watersRpeople
Posted on September 14, 2012 at 8:57am
Of course they have been whizzing by lately – God’s kind of annoyed.

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- Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 9:26am
  I have to agree. He may be telling us “Wake up people, open your eyes.”
  
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- ropati
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 9:33am
  Last I heard it was headed for Charlotte, NC.
  
  Report this comment
- watersRpeople
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 9:34am
  Oh do you think? I’ve got nothing but time.
  
  Report this comment
- cloudsofwar
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 9:50am
  what will life be like after the impact? pray that we don’t find out. we have enough to deal with. muslims,obama,ows,muslims,obama,ows. maybe not in that order.
  
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- Cesium
  Posted on September 14, 2012 at 2:20pm
  @Waters people.. How convenient an explanation.. “god is annoyed.” So this is god’s solution then? just kill kill kill the wicked humans who can never get it right? how civilized. How about instead he cometh downeth on a fiery cloud and assemble all mankind and address all of us with dignity like adults so we can all corroborate the experience. Or nah.. death by asteroid! Just kill em!
  
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