Earth set for near miss from asteroid – but greater danger ahead

Earth is set for an astronomical near-miss from a passing asteroid this November – when a rock measuring almost a quarter of a mile in diameter will come closer to the Earth than the moon is.

The asteroid, officially named 2005 YU 55, will approach the earth at 0.85 lunar distances – around 200,000 miles – making it the closest object to have passed by Earth since 1976.

Although the rock has been designated a “potentially hazardous asteroid” by the Minor Planet Centre in Massachusetts, David Moore of Astronomy Ireland says the asteroid should be seen as a mere reminder of how Earth is in a “shooting gallery” for asteroids.

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