Earth is nearing the date of the closest asteroid fly-by ever.
On February 15, asteroid 2012 DA14 will fly on a path that puts it just 17,200 miles from earth, which is closer to Earth than some communication satellites, according to Universe Today.
NASA
A NASA diagram shows the asteroid's close trajectory.
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"I think perhaps the most important thing about this asteroid is that it reminds us that the threat from such objects is very real," Jonti Horner, an independent astronomer at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, told Cosmos Magazine.
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NASA says 2012 DA14 will be too faint to see with the naked eye, but several observatories around the world will have live feeds showing the asteroid through telescopes.
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Papua New Guinea
Hadfield challenged followers to come up with a creative caption. His favorite: Snakes on a Plain. (Image: Commander Chris Hadfield)
