A
close encounter of the harmless kind comes next Tuesday when an
aircraft-carrier-size asteroid races past Earth. The asteroid, dubbed
2005 YU55, will come within 202,000 miles of Earth, closer than the
moon, before zipping farther into space. Carbon-colored and dark, the
asteroid measures some 1,300 feet wide. It will be the closest visit by a
space rock this size in more than 30 years. Officials say people on
planet Earth have nothing to worry about.
