Huge asteroid warms up with Earth?

Information on the asteroid 2005 YU55, which is due to visit us this year, slipped through the hub - so I decided to fill the gap. So, on November 8, 2011, asteroid 2005 YU55 will fly near the Earth at a distance of approximately 325,000 km. The diameter of the asteroid is about 400 meters and this is the largest object that will pass so close to Earth until 2028. An asteroid intersects the Earth’s orbit every 30 years, but this time it will come very close.

Don Yehmans, a NASA near-Earth object surveillance program manager, says that despite the proximity and size of the asteroid, it is not dangerous for at least the next 100 years. During approaching, the gravitational effect will be so insignificant that it is unlikely to be able to measure.

Although similar asteroids have already passed in the past within the distance to the moon, there was no technology for their detailed study. Therefore, now there is a good opportunity to study asteroids using the example of 2005 YU55.


Animation of an asteroid fly near the Earth.


Side view. The northern hemisphere is more fortunate.

The asteroid can be observed in an ordinary amateur telescope. Most lucky people in North America.

UPD. Asteroid 2005 YU55 was discovered in December 2005 by Robert Macmillan, head of the Spacewatch program. In April 2010, Mike Nolan received the first images, at which time the asteroid was located at a distance of 2.3 million kilometers from Earth.

via jpl.nasa.gov