Jul 3 2006
From The Space Library
One of the largest asteroids ever to have flown by Earth passed the planet harmlessly at a distance of nearly 269,000 miles (433,000 kilometers), which is close for a cosmic object. In 2004 scientists had discovered the asteroid designated 2004 XP14, but they had calculated that it was unlikely to pose any danger to Earth. However, its close pass by Earth had received substantial press coverage, because the asteroid was large enough to destroy a geographic area roughly equivalent to a region of the United States. Astronomers estimated that the asteroid’s width is in the range of 0.25 to 0.5 miles (0.4 to 0.8 kilometers). Scientists believed that an asteroid with a width of 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) could potentially threaten the existence of life on earth.
Associated Press, “Large Asteroid Zips Harmlessly Past Earth,” 3 July 2006; Times (London), “Cosmic Near- Miss,” 28 June 2006.
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