Large asteroid to pass Earth on Halloween

Asteroid 2015 TB145, measuring approximately 320 metres in diameter, will pass by the Earth at about 1.3 lunar distances on the night of October 30-31 – the closest flyby of a space rock since 2006
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CLOSE ENCOUNTER (planetary positions as of Oct 20)

Mercury Venus Earth orbit Mars
Earth Asteroid’s highly eccentric orbit delayed its discovery until October 10 this year
Asteroid 2015 TB145 Orbital period 3.08 years
Jupiter orbit

0.3km-wide asteroid and Empire State Building shown to scale

Asteroid approaching at unusually high speed of 35km per second

Artist’s impression of asteroid flyby (not 2015 TB145) Size of Earth, Moon, asteroids
and planets increased for clarity
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DISTANCE FROM EARTH

Asteroid 2015 TB145 490,000km on Oct 30-31 Moon 384,400km Asteroid 2004 XP14 440,000km in 2006 Asteroid 1999 AN10 37,000km (minimum) in 2027 Earth
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Sources: NASA, wire agencies Picture: ESA / P. Carril

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