An asteroid as big as an aircraft carrier zipped passed Earth at 12.28pm today, but it wasn't able to be seen from New Zealand.
Asteroid 2005 YU 55 passed by Earth about 338,000km from the planet, closer than the Moon is to Earth.
Space: File Image.
The 400m diameter space rock was only visible from the Northern Hemisphere, and even then it is too dim to be seen by the naked eye, and too fast for viewing by big telescopes.
The asteroid is blacker than charcoal.
Information about its composition and structure are expected from radar images and chemical studies of its light as the asteroid passes by.
3 comments
That's it then..
Posted on 09-11-2011 20:47 | By tibs
Finally, something that has "Gone by Lunchtime"
HAHAHAHAHA TIBS GOOD ONE
Posted on 10-11-2011 00:00 | By SCARLET PIMPINEL
Actually the real deal here was summed up in the Terminator movie #1, "I'll be back...!" and it will as it is on the same path around the sun as the earth.
ive done some study on this
Posted on 12-11-2011 08:43 | By Capt_Kaveman
reason why only in the northern hemisphere is as it passes it will be above the ecliptic plane discovered on December 28, 2005 Size 400m current speed 13.7km/s rotation period 18 hours orbit period 25mths Impact report ( if it did ) Emperial Collage London Report Distance from Impact: 515.00 km Energy before atmospheric entry: 2.52 x 1019 Joules = 6.01 x 103 MegaTons TNT tilt of Earth's axis < 5 hundreths of a degree Transient Crater Diameter: 6.51 km Transient Crater Depth: 2.3 km Final Crater Diameter: 8.36 km Final Crater Depth: 561 meters Seismic Effect Richter Scale Magnitude: 7.1 ( 1.43mins ) Air Blast arrive approximately 26 min after impact Max wind velocity: 5.15 m/s = 11.5 mph Sound Intensity: 67 dB At this impact velocity ( < 15 km/s), little vaporization occurs; no fireball is created
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