REAL LIFE NEWS: ASTEROID COMES CLOSE TONIGHTAn asteroid is about to sweep across the sky just 270,000 miles away from the Earth - that's only slightly further away than the moon. It should be visible by telescope from North America and Europe tonight and will be even clearer tomorrow. If you want to try to spot it, look towards the Perseus, Cassiopeia and Chephus constellations, where it will appear as a moving dot against the stars. The asteroid is called 2004 XP14, and it is among 783 asteroids currently classified as "potentially hazardous" because of its size and proximity to Earth. But there's no cause for alarm; it's not actually a threat to the Earth. And this is probably as close as it will get - although it is expected to pass the earth on a number of future occasions, scientists believe it is likely to be further away on future passes. |