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Three years ago, a spooky "comet of death", spooky, hit the Earth on Halloween night. Now, it's back.
First of all: it will not happen to us this year. The asteroid, officially named 2015 TB145, will be coming closest to Earth around November 11, reported CNN. But it could still be close enough to scare you.
NASA scientists first spotted the object when it approached the earth in 2015. They thought the asteroid was actually a "dead" comet that had lost its luminance after too many trips around the world. solar system, according to a statement of the time.
"We found that the object reflects about six percent of the light it receives from the sun," said Vishnu Reddy, a researcher at the Institute of Planetary Science, after the communicated. "It's similar to fresh asphalt, and while on Earth, we think it's pretty dark, it's brighter than a typical comet that only reflects 3 to 5 % light."
The asteroid first passed through the Earth at about 302,000 miles, a little farther than the moon, the researchers said. This year, it will be much further: 25 million miles, where even the telescopes will be "no bigger than a point of light," said Paul Chodas, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
"The next more exciting meeting will take place around Halloween in 2088, when the object will reach the Earth at a distance of about 20 lunar distances," said researcher Thomas G. Müller in a statement. press.
It may also look different now. Asteroids can change shape as they prick themselves and clash with other space debris, and Reddy said the asteroid was "a lot rougher" than what scientists believed in originally, reported NBC News.
In 2015, the approach was close enough for the asteroid to be named "potentially dangerous" – although it passed without any problems. NASA scientists said on Facebook that they were not expecting an approach as close as at least after 2100.
"One of the guidelines of the Arecibo Observatory is to measure with great accuracy the distance to asteroids and their speed, which can be used to study the orbit of the asteroid and predict its movement for hundreds of years" , wrote the scientists.
Yet, even though the asteroid will not be this close to us this year, social media continues to talk about the "comet of death."
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