NASA Captures New Images of Large Asteroid Passing Earth



Source:  NASA RELEASE : 11-375


NASA's Deep Space Network antenna in Goldstone, Calif. has captured new radar images of Asteroid 2005 YU55 passing close to Earth. The asteroid safely will fly past our planet slightly closer than the moon's orbit on Nov. 8. The last time a space rock this large came as close to Earth was in 1976, although astronomers did not know about the flyby at the time. The next known approach of an asteroid this size will be in 2028. The new radar images are online at: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/asteroids/multimedia/yu55-20111107.html
For more information about asteroids and near-Earth objects, visit:www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroidwatch More information about asteroid radar research is available online at:echo.jpl.nasa.gov/ 
 

www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2011/nov/HQ_11-375_Asteroid_Images.html

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