Giant asteroid is about to pass between the Earth and moon – closest shave for 35 years

Martin Robinson
Mail Online
November 4, 2011

An asteroid the size of an aircraft carrier is set to pass closer to Earth than the moon – the nearest anything this big has come to our planet in 35 years.

The space rock has been classed as a ‘potentially hazardous object’ because it will shave our planet .8 lunar distances away on Tuesday, November 8.

Experts have calculated that if something of that size were to hit Earth it would cause a 4,000 megaton blast, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake, and if it hit water a 70-foot high tsunami would spread within 60 miles of the crash site. 

The last time a rock this big passed so close was in 1976, but it was missed by everybody, including NASA.

Read full article here

This article was posted: Friday, November 4, 2011 at 5:29 am

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