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Double-Decker Sized Asteroid Whizzed by Earth on Saturday
news.google.com
Most of the people would not be aware that an asteroid of the size of a double-decker bus whizzed by earth on Saturday. The asteroid termed as HL 129 is around 7.6 metres wide and travelled within the Moon’s orbit, which is 384,399 kilometres, away from the planet.
The asteroid made its closest approach to earth at 4.13 am EDT. Astronomers from the Mount Lemmon Survey were the ones who first spotted the asteroid on Wednesday. They were alerted by Minor Plant Center, part of the International Astronomical Union.
NASA ensures to keep a constant look-out for potentially hazardous asteroids that could hit earth and the consequences of it could prove quite deadly. As per former astronaut Ed Lu, it is a sheer chance that this year, earth has not been hit by an asteroid.
“Because we don’t know where or when the next major impact will occur, the only thing preventing a catastrophe from a ‘city-killer’ sized asteroid has been blind luck”, affirmed Lu.
When asteroid strike on earth, many people get hurt like in 2013, more than 1,000 people were injured as an asteroid exploded above the Russian city of Chelyabinsk.
Therefore, NASA keeps on organizing events in which participants have to find and identify potentially dangerous asteroids. NASA said they try and engage as many people as possible in earth’s defense.
One such challenge is the Asteroid Grand Challenge that involves making telescopic observations, hardware and doing computer models. They have even come up with a video encouraging people that asteroid hunting can be done by any one.
Source: http://www.ascensionearth2012.org/2014/05/double-decker-sized-asteroid-whizzed-by.html
