Large Asteroid Nearly Hits Earth

Ryan Hardy 11/10/11
Biggest
Asteroid In 35 Years Swings Close to Earth

The biggest asteroid in over three decades passed by Earth just barely
over this past week. On Tuesday, November 8th, the asteroid known to
scientists as 2005YU55, came within 202,000 miles of planet Earth at 6:28pm
eastern standard time. Asteroids are leftovers from the formation of the solar
system some 4.5 billion years ago. Scientists believe their growth was stunted
by Jupiter's gravitational pull and never had the chance to become full-fledged
planets. Pieces of asteroids periodically break off and make fiery plunges
through the atmosphere as meteorites.
This asteroid was considered as big as an aircraft carrier and was
estimated to be a quarter mile wide. This was so close to the Earth that it was
in between the moons orbit with Earth. The moons orbit is about 239,000 miles
from Earth.
Scientists from NASA’S Deep Space Network had been tracking the asteroid
since last week. According to the scientists it approached from the Sun at
29,000 miles per hour. This asteroid was so large that it even attracted astronomers
and amateur sky gazers.
If an asteroid that size would hit the planet, Purdue University
professor Jay Melosh calculated the consequences of 2005YU55. The impact would
create a crater four miles across and 1,700 feet deep. If the asteroid slammed
into the ocean, it would have triggered 70-foot-high tsunami waves. This would
have been catastrophic for the planet.
The Clay Center Observatory in Brookline, Mass., planned an all-night
viewing party so children and parents could observe through research-grade
telescopes and listen to lectures speak about asteroid and why they are in
space. The asteroid can't be detected with the naked eye. For those who did not
have a telescope, they could watch a streamed video of the flyby live on
Ustream which the observatory put on. This attracted several thousand viewers. The
asteroid appeared as a white dot against a backdrop of stars.
Don Yeomans, who heads NASA's Near
Earth Object Program, said 2005YU55 is the type of asteroid that humans may
want to visit because it contains carbon-based materials and possibly frozen
water. Unfortunately, the space shuttle program has been retired, but the Obama
administration wants astronauts to land on an asteroid as a stepping stone to
Mars.
In the future scientist are confident that asteroids of this size will
not hit the planet. Hopefully they do not because of the serious consequences.
For example, the giant craters that could form or the 70-foot-high tsunami
waves that could occur. This could lead to scarcity on resources and could affect
many countries especially those who are located near bodies of water. If the asteroid
hit and formed the giant crater it would lead to many deaths, injuries, and
loss of homes and shelter and resources. Anyway you look at it an asteroid would
not be good if it hit Earth because of the consequences.

All
information received from:
http://news.yahoo.com/biggest-asteroid-35-years-swings-close-earth-235108756.html
NASA's
Near-Earth Object Program: http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov
Ustream:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/clay-center-observatory