spacetoday.net: Asteroid passes near Earth

Asteroid passes near Earth

Posted: Tue, Jan 29, 2008, 6:08 AM ET (1108 GMT)
Asteroid 2007 TU24 (NASA/JPL)

A small asteroid flew relatively near the Earth early Tuesday, providing scientists with an opportunity to study the object in detail. The asteroid 2007 TU24 made its closest approach to the Earth at 3:33 am EST (0833 GMT) Tuesday at a distance of about 538,000 kilometers, or about one and a half times the distance to the Moon. The asteroid, estimated to be about 250 meters in diameter, was discovered last October. The asteroid poses no impact risk to the Earth, and will not pass this close to the Earth again until at least the end of the century. Astronomers planned to use the flyby to study to make optical and radar observations of the asteroid.