Space Rock Asteriod Comes between Earth & Moon Give Cluse About Formation Earth

The asteroid, which is known as 2005 YU55 and is orbit around the Sun, has not been this close to Earth in 200 years and will come closer to Earth than any of its size in the past 35 years. The giant lump of space rock, which is about the size of an aircraft carrier, will pass between Earth and the Moon on Tuesday, November 8.

The last time a similarly large rock passed by at such a short distance was in 1976 – but it went largely unnoticed because everybody – Nasa included – failed to notice it.Now astronomers who missed that event will have another chance of a close encounter as the enormous rock shoots by at about 11.30pm on Tuesday, November 8.It will not be visible to the naked eye but amateur astronomers stand a good chance of catching a glimpse of it provided they have a telescope at least 6in in diameter.

The scientists worked for the space administration’s Near Earth Object (NEO) programme, a team tasked with identifying comets, asteroids and meteors that potentially pose a threat to Earth. A normal day meant scanning their screens for small white dots in our solar system — the vast majority of which were either too far away to ever be a problem or so small they would burn up in our atmosphere long before they could ever do any serious damage. On that Monday morning, however, Chodas noticed an asteroid about the size of a truck beyond the moon’s orbit. It was on a collision course with Earth.

He called Chesley over. The pair estimated the asteroid to be about 5m (16ft) long and they reckoned they had about 19 hours before it hit.

Nasa scientists, who have officially classified the asteroid as a "near-earth object", will use a radar telescope to analyse exactly what it is made of and get a better idea where it came from. A spokesman said: "We hope to obtain images that should reveal a wealth of detail about the asteroid's surface features, shape, dimensions and other physical properties."

If the Americans like what they see 2005 YU55 could even become the site for another giant leap for mankind on its next fly-by in 2028, with Nasa aiming to put an astronaut on an asteroid within the next 20 years.2005 YU55 is one of 874 near-earth asteroids, and if it were to smash into Earth it would be powerful enough to wipe out a city the size of Bath, the Sunday Times reported. But Dr Emily Baldwin, deputy editor of Astronomy Now magazine, said it posed no threat.

She told the Sunday Times: "It is a great opportunity to make close-up, detailed observations. Studies of asteroids are important not only to learn about the potential threat an impact may have on Earth but also to understand the history of our solar system. "Analysing what the rock is made of could help scientists understand how our planet was formed, she added.