Small asteroid to encounter Earth
Pastor Dale Morgan
Small asteroid to encounter Earth*
March 18, 2009 - 2:10PM
Scientists say a newly discovered asteroid will whiz harmlessly past
Earth on Wednesday, the second close encounter in a month.
The small space rock dubbed 2009 FH will fly within 78,850 kilometres of
the Earth's surface at 1217 GMT Wednesday (2317 AEDT).
Don Yeomans, who heads NASA's Near-Earth Object Program, says there's no
chance of an impact.
The asteroid, measuring 13 metres high and 29 metres across, was spotted
on Monday night by the NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona.
An asteroid this size usually comes this close to Earth every few months.
Wednesday's flyby will be farther away than another asteroid close call
earlier this month. That asteroid about the size of one that blasted
Siberia a century ago came within 65,980 kilometres of Earth.
© 2009 AP