How fast is asteroid 2005 yu55 traveling

The flyby will mark the closest such a big space rock has come to Earth since But there's no need to scurry down to the basement bunker to await an asteroid impact , researchers say. Researchers are excited about YU55's close approach, because it gives them a chance to study the space rock as never before.

Usually we take three images spaced 20 or 30 minutes apart. Radar images of the asteroid were taken when it made a previous flyby of Earth in April it makes one trip around the sun every 15 months , but this approach will be much closer, so the views will be much better. Scientists have already begun taking the space rock's measure using a variety of instruments, including the huge Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico and NASA's foot m Goldstone radar antenna in the California desert.

At its closest point, asteroid YU55 will pass Earth at a range of about , miles , kilometers on Tuesday at p. The average distance between the moon and Earth is about , miles , km. In fact, we have several telescopes set up and ready to observe this event already. Astronomers plan to use the telescopes to snap radar images of asteroid YU55 similar to one taken by the Arecibo observatory in April , when the space rock flew within 1.

Tuesday's flyby, however, is much closer and should allow astronomers to snap more detailed images of the asteroid. Observatories in Hawaii will also attempt to take spectroscopic measurements of the asteroid to analyze its composition, researchers said.

A space rock this big hasn't come this close in 35 years: It will fly by at a distance of just , miles , kilometers , which is actually inside the orbit of the moon. NASA has assured the world that the asteroid, officially named YU55, poses no threat to our planet. But what about our planet's loyal sidekick? Is the moon in danger? Like two ships passing in the night, they'll miss each other by more than , miles , km. And several organizations, including the Clay Center Observatory in Massachusetts and the online telescope service Slooh, provided live webcasts of the space rock's close flyby.

Skywatchers under clear, dark skies still have a chance to spot YU55 before it disappears into deep space. You'll need a telescope to find the space rock, which is relatively small and dim.

Any scope with an aperture greater than 6 inches should be able to spot YU55, experts say. The tricky part will be knowing where to look, since YU55 will be moving across the sky at about 7 degrees per hour your clenched fist held at arm's length measures about 10 degrees.