Biggest asteroid in 35 years swings close to Earth

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A black asteroid as big as an aircraft carrier zoomed past Earth on Tuesday, delighting astronomers who trained telescopes on the ancient body in hopes of learning more about its composition and origin. With a diameter estimated at 400 meters, or about a quarter of a mile, Asteroid 2005 YU 55 is the biggest asteroid to make a close pass by Earth since 1976. During its closest approach, which occurred at 6:28 p.m. EST, it was inside the orbit of the moon, about 200,000 miles above the planet. It posed no threat to either.

IN PICTURES: Asteroids

Thousands of professional and amateur astronomers were tracking the asteroid with telescopes, seeking to learn more about what it is made of, how fast it spins and ultimately, where it came from. "It was pretty easy to find," astronomer Ronald Dantowitz, director of the student-run Clay Center Observatory in Brookline, Massachusetts, told Reuters. "It's moving differently than the stars are moving. It looks like a giant rock floating through space." With automated controls for tracking, the asteroid appeared to be fixed in position, while background stars were a blur, Dantowitz said. The asteroid, however, was moving at about 30,000 mph. Astronomers believe YU 55 has been visiting Earth for thousands of years, nudged out of the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter after a gravitational elbowing by Jupiter. Asteroid

ASTEROID 2005 YU55

Untuk kesekian kalinya bumi kita yang indah ini dihampiri oleh pelawat  dari angkasa yang dijangka menghampiri bumi lebih dekat daripada jarak bulan dengan bumi sendiri. Sebuah asteroid yang asalnya berada antara planet Marikh dan Jupiter yang digelar Sabuk Asteroid telah melencong dari kebiasaannya dan dijangka menghampiri bumi pada 8-9 November 2011

Asteroid yang berukuran 400 meter atau sebesar kapal pengangkut ini hanya berada pada jarak 250,000 km menjadikan Asteroid ini tergolong dalam objek besar yang mengancam bumi dan sekiranya ia terbabas atau menghentam bumi, cukup untuk menghancurkan sebuah kota

Asteroid yang  juga telah hampir dengan bumi pada 1976 semakin menghampiri bumi sekali lagi setelah mengembara selama 35 tahun di angkasa. Asteroid yang ditemui pada 2005 ini kemudiannya dikenali 2005 YU55 ia menghampiri bumi tanpa di sedari manusia termasuk NASA sendiri,oleh kerana saiznya yang besar dan boleh mengundang bencana kepada bumi ia telah didaftarkan kepada asteroid yang berpotensi menjadi bahaya.