NASA: Asteroid Will Pass ‘Very Close’ To Earth On Sunday

TAMPA, Fla. (CBS Tampa) — NASA announced that a small asteroid will safely pass “very close” to Earth on Sept. 7.

The asteroid, designated 2014 RC, will be roughly over New Zealand at the time of closest approach, which will be about 2:18 pm EDT based on current calculations. Astronomers estimate that the asteroid is about 60 feet in size.

On the night of Aug. 31, the asteroid was first discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey near Tucson, Ariz., and was detected independently the next night by the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope that is located in Hawaii.

The orbit of 2014 RC was confirmed by both the Catalina Sky Survey and the University of Hawaii during follow-up observations.

It will be about 25,000 miles away at the time of its closest approach to Earth. It won’t be observable to the unaided eye, but amateur astronomers with small telescopes might be able to spot the fast-moving appearance of the asteroid.

The asteroid doesn’t seem to pose any threat to Earth or satellites in space. It will prove to be an opportunity for researchers to observe and gather more information about asteroids.
http://tampa.cbslocal.com/2014/09/04/nasa-asteroid-will-pass-very-close-to-earth-on-sunday/



Um, that seems pretty close compared to other ones Ive followed. What do yall think?

A mysterious late-night blast in the Nicaraguan capital of Managua that left a crater 12 meters (40 feet) wide was most likely caused by a meteorite, government scientists said on Sunday.

The loud explosion occurred around 11 p.m. on Saturday on the outskirts of Managua near the airport, said Wilfried Strauch from the Nicaraguan Institute of Earth Studies (Ineter) in an interview on a government TV channel. No one was injured.

Strauch said that Nicaragua is asking the United States for expert help to investigate the event, which was picked up by seismic sensors.

"All the evidence that we've confirmed on-site corresponds exactly with a meteorite and not with any other type of event," said Jose Millan, also from Ineter.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/07/us-nicaragua-meteorites-idUSKBN0H20XB20140907

? hmmmm