Near Miss: Big Asteroid About To Fly Past Earth

Here it is: Near Earth Asteroid 2005 YU55.

And on Tuesday November 8, 2011, this black rock will zip by the earth–gettting closer to us than the moon!

NASA says this thing is about the size of an Aircraft Carrier – but it’s more of a round shape.

And it’s going to be the largest thing to get this close to earth since 1976–that’s more than 30 years!

You can imagine how technology has improved over the last 30 years, right? I mean, my Buick Regal barely had FM and I’d never heard of a computer. Now I surf the web on my iPhone and listen to Satellite radio in the car.

Well, advances in space research technology are why astronomers are so excited for this close call of sorts. They’re going to use the most advanced Deep Space telescopes to track, photograph and analyze the asteroid as it flies past. It’s spin. It’s dynamics. It’s texture.

Exact Time For Asteroid Near Miss 

NASA says it should happen Tuesday November 8, 2011 at 6:28pm eastern time, 3:28pm Pacific time. The asteroid will be 201,700 miles from earth–about 20% closer than the moon!

And what we learn from this one, scientists say, will help us more accurately track other Near Earth Objects that someday may be on a collision course with planet earth!