Asteroid will pass Earth 30 times closer than the moon

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Ashim Sunam

27 June, 2011

2011 MD, an asteroid would be coming very close to the earth on June 27. It will pass by above 7,500 miles from the earth's surface. The asteroid was first witnessed by a robotic telescope in the US. But there are fears that it could head for Earth.

AN ASTEROID, which is said to be measuring 16 to 35 feet, will fly by very closely to our Mother Earth on June 27 at 9:30 a.m. EDT (Eastern Daylight Time). The asteroid, which has been named 2011 MD by the scientists, would come as close as 7,500 miles above the earth’s surface. Scientists around the world are very keen to witness the asteroid zipping past. The asteroid was first viewed by a robotic telescope in USA.

The coming of this asteroid near the earth is not something new but it comes this close only once every 6 years on an average. 2011 MD is supposed to be the fifth asteroid that would come close to the earth. The last asteroid that came close to the earth was on February 2011. People around the world are worried if 2011 MD would hit the earth, but NASA has declared that the asteroid would not be posing any threat to the earth.

For those people who are interested in witnessing the asteroid, they need a large amateur telescope, which would help them in getting a closer picture of this rare event. Still, there are no guarantees that the asteroid will be seen as they are very small and may require sizeable telescopes.

Only those people who are very lucky would see the asteroid when it is closest to the earth, but more people would be able to see the asteroid getting closer to the earth. According to media reports people in South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand 'may be' able to see the passing of the asteroid clearly with high quality telescopes. South Africa is said to be the best place to witness the spectacle.