The world is safe — at least from one asteroid. A 150-foot cosmic rock hurtled safely past Earth on Friday.
It was the closest known flyby for a rock of its size, passing within 27,357km. That’s closer than some satellites.
The flyby occurred just hours after a much
smaller meteor exploded above Russia’s Ural Mountains.
Astronomers say the two events were coincidental, and the objects were traveling in opposite directions. At least one scientist called it an exciting day and “like a shooting gallery here.”
The asteroid was invisible to astronomers in the United States at the time of its closest approach on the opposite of the world.
But in Australia, astronomers used binoculars and telescopes to watch the point of light speed across the clear night sky.
Google Doodle removed
Google has withdrawn a Doodle which was put up in the event of a record close approach of an asteroid towards Earth, following the unexpected meteor strike in Russia in which numerous people were injured.
The moving Google illustration, in which the small ‘g’ of Google was shown evading a flying rock, had been put up in anticipation of the huge Asteroid 2012 DA14, which has passed the Earth.