A massive asteroid, the size of three football fields, is flying by earth today.
The asteroid is 2000 EM26. You can watch the Slooh webcast starting at 9pm EDT on February 17 2014 ...
It will be 2.1million miles away (pretty close in space terms, right?) The GUARDIAN reports this:
But it is defined as a potentially hazardous near-Earth object (NEO) large enough to cause significant damage in the event of an impact. Scientists estimate the asteroid, travelling at 27,000mph, is 270 metres (885ft) wide.At its closest approach at 2am UK time, the rock will be 2.1m miles from Earth, or 8.8 lunar distances.
It is happening almost exactly a year after the Chelyabinsk, Russia, hit. (Remember that night? We were watching one asteroid ‘safely’ fly by earth as another one almost hit!!?)
At least we knew about this one.. it was discovered back in the glory days of the postClinton 90s on March 5, 2000. And now here we are.. 14 years later.. the fly by is on. Let’s hope no ‘junk’ comes with it…