Asteroid the Size of Cruise Ship to Safely Bypass Earth — Let's Heave a Collective Sigh of Relief
A Discovery News reports says that while this particular asteroid won't hit Earth, the planet WILL get hit by a large asteroid and humans WILL be here to witness it.
Things in space can get far out — literally. But sometimes things get a little too close for comfort. Thank goodness that's not the case with an asteroid the size of a cruise ship — 2012 DA14 — that Discovery News reports will safely bypass Earth on Feb. 15. But, and there IS a but ... in relative space distances, the asteroid is cutting it close — 17,200 miles from our planet or 1/13th the distance from the Earth to the moon, according to the report. The asteroid is coming close enough that Earth's gravitational pull will affect its orbit around the sun, shortening it from 368 days to 317. If something the size of Asteroid 2012 DA14 did hit Earth, it would cause crippling damage on a local scale. According to the report, it is …
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