Earth set for asteroid close-call
- 11 years ago
NASA is keeping a close eye on a sizable asteroid that is set to miss the Earth by a relatively small distance.
In fact, the 150 feet wide, 130,000 tonne rock is due to make the the closest flyby ever predicted for such a large object.
Dubbed 2012 DA 14, it is expected to pass about 27,000km above the Earth at the time of closest approach, at about 19:25 GMT, NASA said.
"This distance is well away from Earth and the swarm of low Earth-orbiting satellites, including the International Space Station," it said in a statement on its website.
Still, "the flyby of 2012 DA14 is the closest-ever predicted approach to Earth for an object this large".
Al Jazeera's Tarek Bazley has the details.
In fact, the 150 feet wide, 130,000 tonne rock is due to make the the closest flyby ever predicted for such a large object.
Dubbed 2012 DA 14, it is expected to pass about 27,000km above the Earth at the time of closest approach, at about 19:25 GMT, NASA said.
"This distance is well away from Earth and the swarm of low Earth-orbiting satellites, including the International Space Station," it said in a statement on its website.
Still, "the flyby of 2012 DA14 is the closest-ever predicted approach to Earth for an object this large".
Al Jazeera's Tarek Bazley has the details.