Giant asteroid comes hurtling towards Earth
AN asteroid that may be up to half a mile across is set to hurtle past Earth next week.
The space rock, called 2004 XP14, will pass "exceptionally close" to the planet in what is seen as a near miss in astronomical terms - 268,624 miles away at its closest moment early on Monday.
That is just 1.1 times the Moon's average distance from Earth.
Astronomers will try to get a more accurate assessment of the size of the asteroid by "pinging" it with radar.
It was discovered in December 2004 by the Lincoln Laboratory Near Earth Asteroid Research (Linear).
Initially there were concerns that it could hit Earth later in the century, but further studies have since ruled out such a collision.
However, it has still been classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA) by the Minor Planet Centre in Cambridge, Massachusetts, because of the proximity of its orbit to Earth and its estimated size.
There are currently 783 PHAs, and Nasa has begun a study into what can be done to deflect any asteroids or comets that are on course to hit us.
Web links
European Space Agency
http://www.esa.int/export/esaCP/index.html
NASA
http://www.nasa.gov
China National Space Administration
http://202.106.142.5/main_e.asp
British Astronomical Association
http://www.britastro.org
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