http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/01/wednesdays-near-earth-asteroid-caught-on-film/

Download from

2010-01-14, CET 12:30, GMT 11:30

_______________________________________________________

A team of astronomers from Italy captured images of the asteroid that passed by Earth Wednesday at a distance one-third that between the Earth and the Moon.

The rock, between 30 and 50 feet across, was not in danger of striking the planet and probably would have burned up in the atmosphere before hitting Earth’s surface, if it had headed our way. The asteroid, dubbed 2010 AL30 was first spotted and announced Monday. It is the closest encounter Earth will have with any known object until 2024.

In 2029 an asteroid known as Apophis will come three times closer than Wednesday’s asteroid did. Though the chances it will hit Earth are just one in 250,000, it is the subject of a lot of discussion, and Russia has announced it is making plans to deflect it.

Images: E. Guido and G. Sostero

See Also:

• Earth to Get Close Shave Wednesday From Newly Discovered Asteroid

• Video: The Asteroid That Will Almost Hit Earth

• To Deflect an Asteroid, Try a Lasso, Not a Nuke

• Saving Earth From an Asteroid Will Take Diplomats, Not Heroes

• The Real Twitpocalypse: Asteroid Alerts Come to Twitter

• How to Defend Earth Against an Asteroid Strike

• First-Ever Asteroid Tracked From Space to Earth

Follow us on Twitter @betsymason and @wiredscience, and on Facebook.

Tags: asteroids, NEOs

[ ... ]

Read More http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/01/wednesdays-near-earth-asteroid-caught-on-film/#ixzz0caJaxkfN