2005 YU55 Getting Closer
Monday, June 22nd, 2009The next doomsday scenario coming our way is in the form of an asteroid. There are many out there, but the next one heading toward us is called 2005 YU55 and it will be here before December 2012.
The original article on this asteroid 2005 YU55 appeared here.
For an asteroid this big, coming so soon, you’d think you’d be hearing more about it. Instead, news of this asteroid, as big or bigger than Aphophis, is almost non-existent. It’s first pass will be on April 19, 2010 , the second (after it goes around the sun) is November 8th, 2011. The current estimate has the second pass at 94,000 miles. For reference, the moon is about 239,000 miles away.
Since this object was first spotted in 2005, it has been out traveling unseen (by us) though the solar system. What has it encountered since then, has its orbit been altered, has it been impacted by another object? Will it pass closer than the estimates, further, or will it hit us? I guess we’ll have to wait to see.
Finally though, this object has add to the Risk List at NEODyS. It’s still does not appear on NASA’s risk table.
In an interesting twist, while this object will be here in under a year, suddenly there will be no more data from the satellites. The military recently classified all data on incoming space rocks. Space Rock Data Classified 
