Asteroid 2010 TD54 flies by really close Oct. 12, 2010

William Atkins
Tuesday, 12 October 2010 05:57

Science - Space

Asteroid 2010 TD54 will fly by the Earth on Tuesday, October 12, 2010, and will pass at a distance of only about 46,000 kilometers (28,500 miles) from our planet's surface.

 

The asteroid is approximately 7 meters (23 feet) in width, with an uncertainty of about two or three meters.

The space rock will appear to fly through the constellations Aquarius and Pisces on its near miss with Earth.

Astronomers state that the Earth and asteroid 2010 TD54 will not collide, and all people on Earth are completely safe.

NASA states, 'If an asteroid of the size of 2010 TD54 were to enter Earth's atmosphere, it would be expected to burn up high in the atmosphere and cause no damage to Earth's surface.'

Actually, Don Yeomans, who is a manager with NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office, said there is ''¦ Only 1 in a million chance of an impact' and '... and even if it does impact, it is not large enough to make it through the Earth's atmosphere to cause ground damage.' [Universe Today: 'Breaking News: Small NEO Could Pass Within 60,000 km of Earth on Tuesday']

Its closest approach to Earth will occur at 6:51 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), or 3:51 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT). This time is equivalent to 1051 Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

At this approximate time, the asteroid will be flying over the sky of Singapore and its general surroundings, in southeastern Asia.

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