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Asteroid 2005 YU 55 will fly-by closer than the moon on Tuesday

A very close encounter coming up on Tuesday at 6:28 pm US Eastern time.

(Reuters) – A huge asteroid will pass closer to Earth than the moon Tuesday, giving scientists a rare chance for study without having to go through the time and expense of launching a probe, officials said.

Earth’s close encounter with Asteroid 2005 YU 55 will occur at 6:28 p.m. EST (2328 GMT) Tuesday, as the space rock sails about 201,000 miles from the planet.

“It is the first time since 1976 that an object of this size has passed this closely to the Earth. It gives us a great — and rare — chance to study a near-Earth object like this,” astronomer Scott Fisher, a program director with the National Science Foundation, said Thursday during a Web chat with reporters.

The orbit and position of the asteroid, which is about 1,312 feet in diameter, is well known, added senior research scientist Don Yeomans, with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. ….. 

Previous studies show the asteroid, which is blacker than charcoal, is what is called a C-type asteroid that is likely made of carbon-based materials and some silicate rock. More information about its composition and structure are expected from radar images and chemical studies of its light as the asteroid passes by the planet. “I’ve read that we will be able to see details down to a size of about 15 feet across on the surface of the asteroid,” Fisher said.

Photo of Asteroid 2005 YU55: image http://dcmusgrove.blogspot.com

Now if this had been a movie we would have had an astronaut from the International Space Station all suited up and ready to board the asteroid to collect a few samples.

The next near-earth asteroid flyby is expected on June 26, 2028, when the even larger Asteroid (153814) 2001 WN5  (upto 1500m in diameter) will pass by at an estimated 0.65 lunar distances (about 250,000km).

Related: Huge Asteroid to Pass Near Earth in November

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This entry was posted on November 6, 2011 at 7:49 pm and is filed under Astronomy, Science, Space. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

2 Responses to “Asteroid 2005 YU 55 will fly-by closer than the moon on Tuesday”

  1. asteroide pasa este martes junto a la Tierra, a una distancia más cercana que la Luna - siskatec Says:
    November 7, 2011 at 11:42 am

    […] Asteroid 2005 YU 55 will fly-by closer than the moon on Tuesday (ktwop.wordpress.com) […]

  2. THIS WEEK’S HUGE ASTEROID WILL NOT DESTROY THE EARTH « As My World Turns Says:
    November 15, 2011 at 7:07 pm

    […] Asteroid 2005 YU 55 will fly-by closer than the moon on Tuesday (ktwop.wordpress.com) […]

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