Apparently, a "comet of death" will fly close to Earth just after Halloween, and that's fine

Halloween is about to become a lot more scary. NASA has announced that an asteroid known as the "comet of death" will fly near planet Earth just days after October 31st.

Why is this called a comet of death, you could ask? Because it literally has the shape of a skull.

As terrifying as it may seem, this is not the first time this asteroid is approaching our planet. The scientists spotted it for the first time when it flew over Halloween 2015. The official name of the comet is 2015 TB145 (and NASA also calls it The Great Pumpkin).

The comet was discovered for the first time by scientists at the University of Hawaii who were working on NASA's NEOO (Near Earth Objects Observations) program. He was observed with NASA's infrared telescope center on Mauna Kea in Hawaii, and the first images were transmitted via the Arecibo Observatory of the National Science Foundation in Puerto Rico.

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This year, the 2015 TB145 is expected to land on November 11, but at a much greater distance than that of 2015. And despite the scary name, scientists say that the asteroid will not pose a threat to life on Earth. It will travel at a distance of about 24 million kilometers, which, according to NASA, equates to "about a quarter of the distance between the Earth and the Sun". This is not considered a close encounter and it is not a problem for anyone.

The reappearance of the comet is also beneficial for science. A researcher from the Andalusian Institute of Astrophysics Pablo Santos-Sanz said: "Although this approach is not so favorable, we will be able to obtain new data that could help us to improve our knowledge of this mass and other similar masses that are getting closer. to our planet. "

So, as scary as it sounds, it could all be a good thing!