Asteroid passing between Earth and moon is a "non event" says NASA

NASA is keeping an eye on an asteroid passing between the Earth and moon today with 1 in 10,000,000 chance of hitting us.

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NASA is always-on the lookout for asteroids that are coming close to the Earth to ensure that we have some warning of one if them is going to hit the planet and to study ones that pass nearby for science. Today an asteroid that is about 90-feet in diameter is going to streak by the planet between the Earth and moon's orbit.

Asteroid passing between Earth and moon is a non event says NASA | TweakTown.com

That sounds close if you don't keep in mind the vast distances in space. The asteroid, called 2014 DX110, will be about 217,000 miles from the Earth at its closest point. It is actually very far away from the planet, even though on a cosmic scale this is a close call.

The asteroid will pass the earth at 33,000 mph. At 217,000 miles away from the Earth, it is about 9/10ths of the distance to the moon from the Earth. The asteroid will be at that distance from the planet for about seven hours.

That will give astronomers from around the world time to study the asteroid. If you like space and want to see the asteroid for yourself, you can log onto the Slooh.com website at 3:30 pm EST today to watch the Canary Island telescope feed of the asteroid.

NEWS SOURCE:usatoday.com

Shane is a long time technology writer who has been writing full time for over a decade. Shane will cover all sorts of news for TweakTown including tech and other topics. When not writing about all things geeky, he can be found at the track teaching noobs how to race cars.

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