Asteroid in 2040 Will Not Hit Earth
The asteroid in 2040 called “asteroid 2011 AG5” will not hit the earth, according to a new observation. Using the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii, the researchers say the asteroid shouldn’t get any closer than 550,000 miles (890,000 kilometers) — about twice the distance between Earth and the moon.
“These were extremely difficult observations of a very faint object,” the University of Hawaii’s Richard Wainscoat, a member of the team of researchers monitoring 2011 AG5, said in a statement. “We were surprised by how easily the Gemini telescope was able to recover such a faint asteroid so low in the sky.”
Just because it is a large asteroid doesn’t mean it’s easy to see, scientists said. Researchers used the Gemini North to photograph the asteroid three times in October.