The near-Earth object known as 2010 AL30 appears as a spot against the background streaks of stars in this image from the Skylive-Grove Creek Observatory in Australia. E. Guido and G. Sostero / AFAM / CARAFrom MSNBC/Discovery News:
It will not hit the planet, but scientists aren't sure what it is, exactly.
A near-Earth object that could be human-made has just been discovered hurtling toward us. On Wednesday, the object called 2010 AL30 will fly by Earth at a distance of just 80,000 miles (130,000 kilometers). That's only one-third of the way from here to the moon — that is, very close.
It will miss us, and if it did hit us, it wouldn't do any damage anyway, but I managed to pick up on some chatter between planetary scientists and found out that the "asteroid," or whatever it is, gives us a new standard: A 10-meter-wide (33-foot-wide) asteroid can be detected two days before it potentially hits Earth. A pretty useful warning, if you ask me.
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