The telescopes of the world is ready for a giant asteroid

Has a diameter of more than four football fields or, as defined by NASA, is as big an aircraft carrier. This is a big one, in terms of space; pass close to Earth. YU55, as the space rock is called circular, not dangerous in any way, there is no risk of collision with the Earth as it is in the closest point (about 324,600 kilometers), its gravitational effect on the Earth will be so minuscule that can hardly be measured. But his interest in another aspect: its rarity.

The last time a space rock this size passed so close to Earth was in 1976, although astronomers were not sure what was going to happen? The next known approach of an asteroid this size will be in 2028. So for amateur astronomers and space, this giant's visit is an opportunity to look more closely at these objects. "The objects of this size that pass near Earth have flown within lunar distance in the past, we had no prior knowledge or technology to seize the opportunity," said Barbara Wilson, a scientist at NASA, when that entity announced the asteroid trip.

"When they come, will be a great opportunity for science instruments on the ground to observe it well," he said. In search of asteroids that could impact Earth.

NASA prepares

The asteroid YU55 was discovered in December 2005 by Robert McMillan, head of the NASA-sponsored program space observation at the University of Tucson, Arizona. In April 2010 were known images of the rock, when scientists at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico when it detected was about 2.3 million kilometers from Earth. "You can see with the naked eye. They need a telescope that has a mirror at least six inches in diameter to be visible." Scott Fisher, National Science Foundation

As has been approached more interest and NASA already has everything ready for next Tuesday, when estimating pass closer to Earth. From November 4 start keep up the asteroid and it will use the Goldstone antenna in California, which reaches 70 meters measured. A single radar antenna will join the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, on November 8, when the asteroid is closest to Earth.

Between 6 and 10 of the same month, the antennas monitored the rock for at least four hours each day, the agency said. One objective is to use these antennas for emitting radio waves then bounce. According to NASA, "this will allow to reveal a lot of details about the asteroid's surface features, shape, dimensions and other physical properties." Scott Fisher, director of the Division of Astronomical Sciences at the National Science Foundation, told AFP that the rock "is barely visible when fly by." "You can see with the naked eye. They need a telescope that has a mirror at least six inches in diameter to be visible. To make it even more difficult to see, will be moving very quickly across the sky as it passes."

"The best time to see it is at the end of the afternoon of November 8 on the eastern U.S.