TORONTO – Russian scientists have reported that an asteroid narrowly avoided a collision with Earth on Sept. 30.
Vladimir Lupinov of the Moscow State University and the Sternberg Astronomical Institute told the Russian News Agency RIA Novosti that a network of telescopes recorded the asteroid as it approached Earth.
The 15-metre rock was detected hours before it flew only 11,300 km from Earth. It was closer to us than geostationary satellites.
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The team initially thought it could be an old rocket-booster, but dismissed that after they could find no record of it in the space-junk catalogue.
This asteroid was roughly the same size as the Chelyabinsk meteor that exploded in the Russian sky on Feb. 15 causing damage to buildings and injuring hundreds.
The International Astronomical Union has been notified of the asteroid, but has yet to confirm their discovery.
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