Christmas 'Hippo' Asteroid Is Buzzing Earth, Its Closest Flyby in 400 Years

LiveScience.com ^ | Dec 22, 2018 | Tariq Malik, Space.com Managing Editor

[ETL]

If only a hippopotamus will do this Christmas, Santa has the space rock for you.

A small asteroid will fly safely by Earth Saturday (Dec. 22) and according to the folks at NASA, it looks just like the mighty hippo in new radar images. The asteroid, called 2003 SD220, is also making its closest approach to Earth in more than 400 years and won't be any closer until 2070, NASA officials said. It last flew by Earth on Christmas Eve of 2015.

"Do you want a hippopotamus for Christmas?" officials with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory wrote on Twitter Friday (Dec. 21). "You're in luck. Hippo-shaped #asteroid 2003 SD220 will fly safely past Earth on Saturday, Dec. 22, at a distance of ~1.8 million miles (~2.9 million km)." (If you're wondering about the Christmas-hippotomas connection, watch this adorable music video of "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" as sung by a 10-year-old Gayla Peevey in 1953.) 

[ETL]

[ETL]

No comment.

[Reily]

Looks like Mr Hanky!

[Eddie01]

I had a Christmas hippo asteroid once...

[StormEye]

Hippo? Looks nothing like a hippo.
But it does look like a ... well you know.

[Cold Heart]

Cheetos

[Deaf Smith]

Oh, the Huge manatee.

[Hot Tabasco]

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas,

Only a hippopotamus will do

[Hot Tabasco]

Seriously, that looks more like a manatee

[Hot Tabasco]

Go ahead, say it............a croissant

[the OlLine Rebel]

Actually it does, as in when they are hovering on the surface of the river.

[BenLurkin]

Looks like the Obama I dropped into the toilet this morning

[blueunicorn6]

It’s a photo of the ISS, Idaho Spud Station.

Launched in 2015 from the top secret Au Gratin space complex located south of Boise, the ISS showcases the engineering know-how of the citizens of the Tater State.

“The chips were down, and people thought we were half baked, but now we have something that all of our tots can be proud of,” said Jeff Fries, President Of Idaho.

[W.]

The Hillary Assteroid? Ew...

[morphing libertarian]

very appeeling

[Jim W N]

“PULL UP! PULL UP!”

[HartleyMBaldwin]

How-de-ho!

[fieldmarshaldj]

*Mr. Hankey the Assteroid ping*

[Catmom]

I saw a huge bolide streak through the sky over Pierce County, Washington yesterday.

First one I’ve ever seen.

[SamAdams76]

This is what Gayla Peevey looks like today if we are to take the note of the article stating about what asteroid would look like today being that it is circumventing the Earth and all. May everybody get a hippopotamus in their stockings for Christmas and don't worry about getting eaten - they are vegetarians as the song lyrics poignantly point out.