April 29, 2010

Asteroid Will be Close to Earth by 2011

Asteroid 5535 AnnefrankImage via Wikipedia
An asteroid was spotted to be of close distance to Earth last April 19. The 400 mm size Asteroid 2005 YU55 orbits the sun in an orbit close to earth. For this year however, the distance poses no threat. Last April 19, the asteroid pass by the earth in a distance of 2.4 Million kilometers, about six times the distance between the Earth and the moon.

In 2011 however, the distance will be much closer. The asteroid is predicted to be as close as 308, 000 kilometers, or about eight-tenths of the distance between the Earth and the moon. According to the astronomers, the 2011 encounter would still be harmless to the Earth though they will still keep track of its position in case a possible collision may occur in the future.

For the full story, see the article below.
SPACE.com -- Potentially Dangerous Asteroid Spotted Passing Earth

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