ASTEROID FLYBY: On March 18th, asteroid 2004 FH flew past Earth only 43,000 km from our planet's surface. There was no danger of a collision, but it was close. For comparison, geosynchronous satellites orbit Earth at an altitude of 35,800 km, only six or seven thousand km below the asteroid. [full story]
Using the 14-inch SoTIE telescope in Las Campanas, Chile, Gianluca Masi and Franco Mallia captured this video of the asteroid: (click on the image to view a larger version)
To make this animation, "we put together twenty-four 5-second exposures," says Masi. "It shows both the motion and the brightness variations of this funny asteroid."
Asteroid 2004 FH is only about 30 meters wide, which astronomers consider small. An object this size, if it struck Earth, would make a spectacular meteor. After passing through the atmosphere, fragments of the rock might cause local damage, but no widespread destruction.
