Asteroid 1998 QE2: Giant Rock Passes Earth

[super jumbe]

An asteroid that is capable of wiping out life across the globe is hurtling towards a close encounter with the planet.

The giant rock, named Asteroid 1998 QE2, will make its closest approach to Earth later tonight.



Although it will keep a safe distance of 3.6 million miles - roughly 15 times the distance between Earth and the Moon - the 1.7-mile long object is of great interest to astronomers.

Using powerful telescopes, they should be able to glimpse the asteroid's very own moon and observe some of the space rock's surface features.

Martin Archer, a space plasma physicist, warned that if the asteroid were to strike, "it would certainly have implications for life on Earth on a global scale".

"It would flatten everything within 200 miles and cause damage within 1,000 miles but a lot of dust would be released into the atmosphere, blocking the Sun," he said.

"It could certainly cause extinction for certain species.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/asteroid-1998-qe2-giant-rock-passes-earth-231351508.html?vp=1

[super jumbe]

They did not see the last one hitting Russian school, how did they manage to see this one, I better start stocking my favourites lager and food just in case this it wanders off course.

Come to think about why can not we send all criminals on board this stone and let them find out how the life is in other planets.

[nara]

They did not see the last one hitting Russian school, how did they manage to see this one.[/IMG]

That was a meteor, not an asteroid.

[lagerland]

Or was it a B+Q hurricane....................

[super jumbe]

That was a meteor, not an asteroid.

Meteor Asteroid what ever you want to call it is still a pice of stone just like earth we stand on it only this 1 is always on the run