This Friday, 15th February 2013, will see an asteroid measuring 46 metres (150 feet) across passing pretty close to planet Earth. The asteroid, labelled 2012 DA14, was first spotted by astronomers last year when it zoomed by our planet, and its orbit around the sun has brought it back this way once more.
At its closest point, it will be about 27,681 km (17,200 mi) away, but scientists say there is no chance that it will hit our planet. Although this distance is less than some weather and communications satellites, it is still in fact far higher than the International Space Station, which has an orbital altitude of between 330 km (205 mi) and 410 km (255 mi).
On average, an asteroid like this is expected to pass us by approximately every 40 years, while one will actually hit the Earth once every 1,200 years.
Scientists already have a fair idea of what effect such an impact would have as in 1908, a similar sized meteor hit a remote area of Siberia, called Tunguska. In fact, on that occasion the meteor exploded just above the ground, flattening a forest area of 2150 square km (830 sq.miles), and generating a blast that was 1000 times more powerful than the Hiroshima atom bomb!
At its closest point, it will be about 27,681 km (17,200 mi) away, but scientists say there is no chance that it will hit our planet. Although this distance is less than some weather and communications satellites, it is still in fact far higher than the International Space Station, which has an orbital altitude of between 330 km (205 mi) and 410 km (255 mi).
On average, an asteroid like this is expected to pass us by approximately every 40 years, while one will actually hit the Earth once every 1,200 years.
Scientists already have a fair idea of what effect such an impact would have as in 1908, a similar sized meteor hit a remote area of Siberia, called Tunguska. In fact, on that occasion the meteor exploded just above the ground, flattening a forest area of 2150 square km (830 sq.miles), and generating a blast that was 1000 times more powerful than the Hiroshima atom bomb!
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