Asteroid 1998 WT24 Passes Near Earth
Explanation:
Last week, an asteroid approached unusually close to the Earth.
Passing well outside the orbit of our Moon,
Asteroid 1998 WT24 posed no danger,
but became
bright enough to see with binoculars and to
track with radar.
Pictured above, the kilometer-sized
asteroid was imaged crossing the sky on December 14,
two days before
closest approach.
Every few years, an asteroid will
actually pass inside the orbit of the Moon.
Large
impact features on the Earth are testaments to
asteroids or comets that actually impacted the
Earth in the distant past.
Astronomers continue to discover, track, and study
potentially hazardous asteroids with a goal of
making planet
Earth a safer place.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
