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100-ft diameter asteroid to pass near Earth today
From the "Space rocks--Why do they hate us?" Dept. Edited for brevity.A 100-foot diameter asteroid will pass within 26,500 miles of Earth on Thursday evening, the closest-ever brush on record by a space rock, NASA astronomers said. The asteroidâs close flyby, first spied late Monday, poses no risk, NASA astronomers stressed. "Itâs a guaranteed miss," astronomer Paul Chodas, of the near-Earth object office at NASAâs Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said Wednesday. The asteroid, 2004 FH, was expected to make its closest approach at 5:08 p.m. EST, streaking over the southern Atlantic Ocean. It should be visible through binoculars to stargazers across the southern hemisphere, as well as throughout Asia and Europe, said astronomer Steve Chesley, also of JPL. Professional astronomers around the globe scrambled Wednesday to prepare for the flyby, which could provide an unprecedented chance to get a close look at the asteroid, he added. The asteroid will pass within the moonâs orbit. Similarly sized asteroids are believed to come as close to Earth on average once every two years, but have always escaped detection. "The important thing is not that itâs happening, but that we detected it," Chesley said. With only three days notice and no means to counter it if it were destined to hit us... Well, at least weâd have had time to kiss our a**es good-bye.
Posted by: Dar 2004-03-18 |
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