Unlike Meteor, Asteroid Misses Earth

Posted by | February 15, 2013 15:08 | Filed under: Top Stories


The earth is safe from a 150-foot rock that hurled past our planet, coincidentally, at the same time as a meteor.

It was the closest known flyby for a rock of its size, passing within 17,000 miles. That’s closer than some satellites.

The flyby occurred just hours after a much smaller meteor exploded above Russia’s Ural Mountains.

Astronomers say the two events were coincidental, and the objects were traveling in opposite directions. At least one scientist called it an exciting day and “like a shooting gallery here.”

The asteroid was invisible to astronomers in the United States at the time of its closest approach on the opposite of the world. But in Australia, astronomers used binoculars and telescopes to watch the point of light speed across the clear night sky.

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Copyright 2013 Liberaland
By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.