NASA has gotten a close-up look at a mysteriously-shaped asteroid, which was once believed to be in danger of colliding with the Earth, as it whizzed by.
at a mysteriously-shaped asteroid, once identified as a potential danger for colliding with the Earth, as it whizzed by our planet.
"Of the 1,040 near-Earth objects observed by planetary radar to date, this is one of the most elongated we’ve seen," said Lance Benner, a scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, who led the observations, in aWhile the asteroid was first discovered over a decade ago, we've finally been able to get a detailed look at its shape and orbit.
Astronomers were also able to refine the path the asteroid takes as it orbits the Sun. A full orbit takes roughly 621 days, and it won't make a close pass of Earth until 2040."Interestingly, shortly after its discovery, 2011 AG5 became a poster-child asteroid when our analysis showed it had a small chance of a future impact," said Paul Chodas, the director of NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies, in the statement.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Massive 'forbidden planet' orbits a strangely tiny star only 4 times its sizeThe discovery could challenge our theories of how gas giants like Jupiter form.
Read more »
Review | 9 strangely wonderful books beyond the bestseller listMichael Dirda recommends several recently published odd and wonderful books.
Read more »
'Cocaine Bear's Kahyun Kim Wears Bear-Shaped Pasties to PremiereThe 33-year-old actress made a bold fashion statement at the film's premiere Tuesday night.
Read more »
Marvel Teases The Return of The 'Ultimate' Universe That Shaped The MCUUltimate Invasion will bring back Ultimate Comics this June, giving Hickman and Hitch the job of revitalizing Marvel’s most iconic modern franchise.
Read more »
Shaped like a playground seesaw, new 36th Ward brings three challengers looking to knock off incumbentAld. Gilbert Villegas faces a teacher, a financial consultant and resident in new ward that was radically redrawn.
Read more »
Asteroid that killed the dinosaurs: Likely origin and what we know about the famous space rockSixty-six million years ago, a mountain-size asteroid slammed into Earth just off the coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. Here's everything we know about it ⬇️
Read more »