'Small asteroid to fly past earth'

A small asteroid will fly past earth early today within the earth-moon system, but with no probability of impacting earth. The asteroid will be over southeastern Asia.

A small asteroid will fly past earth early today within the earth-moon system, but with no probability of impacting earth, NASA has said.

HT Image

The asteroid, 2010 TD54, will have its closest approach to earth's surface at an altitude of about 45,000 km at 10:50 GMT, Xinhua quoted NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory ( JPL) as saying on Monday.

At that time, the asteroid will be over southeastern Asia in the vicinity of Singapore, the JPL said.

A telescope of the NASA-sponsored Catalina Sky Survey north of Tucson, Arizona discovered 2010 TD54 October 9 during routine monitoring of the skies.