Giant asteroid due for close encounter with earth
Last Updated on Monday, 07 November 2011 12:15 Monday, 07 November 2011 12:00
A giant asteroid will pass closer to the earth than the moon on Tuesday night (8th November). Asteroid 2005 YU 55 will pass c. 200,000 miles from earth which in terms of the size of the universe can be seen as a hair's breath of a miss. The asteroid is about a quarter of a mile wide and were it to crash into earth would be equal to thousands of Hiroshima's exploding at once.
NASA calculates the odds of the asteroid hitting earth as one in ten million. Instead of sheltering in bunkers, astronomers are instead readying telescopes and taking delight in the opportunity to study the rock without having to launch rockets and spacecraft. NASA said the rock is a C-type asteroid that is likely made of carbon-based materials and some silicate rock.
YU 55 taken from radar images in 2010
1976 was the last time a rock came this close to earth and NASA says the next time could be 2028. We're unsure if that means we can rule out asteroid impacts as heralding the end of the world in 2012...
