Giant asteroid flying by Earth next week looks like it's wearing a face mask

CNN ^ | 04/23/2020 | Ashley Strickland

[BenLurkin]

The asteroid is called 52768 (1998 OR2), and it was first spotted in 1998.

On April 29, it will pass within 3,908,791 miles of Earth, moving at 19,461 miles per hour. That's still 16 times farther than the distance between Earth and the moon.

The flyby is expected to occur on Wednesday, April 29, at 5:56 a.m. ET, according to NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies. The center tracks Near-Earth Objects, or NEOs, that could collide with Earth.

Arecibo Observatory is a National Science Foundation facility managed by the University of Central Florida. A team of experts has been monitoring this near-Earth asteroid, among others. The observatory is supported by NASA's Near-Earth Object Observations Program and has been analyzing asteroids since the mid-'90s.

[StormEye]

"Facemask? Is CNN composed completely of homosexuals?"

Most likely. It's probably why that "news"
network comes across as bizarre and weird.

[proud American in Canada]

I agree. It looks like a nipple or a certain part of an uncircumcised man.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks BenLurkin.

[Kickass Conservative]

FYI, she ended up getting a double mastectomy and reconstructive Surgery because she had the Breast Cancer Gene.

[dfwgator]

[353FMG]

Sharp eye.

[DoodleBob]

Here is a cool visualization of the 1998 OR2 flyby.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks DoodleBob.

[SunkenCiv]

Whoops.

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[Waverunner]

In Space... 30,000 young men signed up for the Space Corps after reading this post.

[Paul R.]

I also note this from the article, comparing to another asteroid:

the asteroid 3122 Florence (1981 ET3), which flew by and luckily missed colliding with Earth on September 1, 2017. It will make another pass again on September 2, 2057.

"Luckily"? Well, I suppose if it hit that'd be exceptionally bad luck.

That asteroid is estimated to be between two and a half and five and a half miles wide.

I believe we have better size estimates than that! I guess the author didn't get past the 1st Wikipedia reference...

[PrairieLady2]

I see a mammogram, too! 🤣🤣

[vpintheak]

LOL!

[SunkenCiv]

Eerie ‘death comet’ with a SKULL face will zip past Earth just after Halloween ...
www.dailymail.co.uk | Published: 12:43 EDT, 27 September 2018 | Updated: 20:10 EDT, 27 September 2018 | Staff
Posted on 9/28/2018, 1:55:50 PM by Red Badger
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/3691584/posts