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| Nasa: Asteroid 2014 RC to safely fly past Earth | Nasa: Asteroid 2014 RC to safely fly past Earth |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| A small asteroid about the size of a house will fly past Earth on Sunday, US space agency Nasa says. | A small asteroid about the size of a house will fly past Earth on Sunday, US space agency Nasa says. |
| The asteroid, 2014 RC, was due to pass over New Zealand at 18:18 GMT. It is about 60 ft (18 m) in size. | |
| It will be about 40,000 km (25,000 miles) away, posing no danger to Earth, Nasa said. | It will be about 40,000 km (25,000 miles) away, posing no danger to Earth, Nasa said. |
| While it will be too small at that distance to see with the naked eye, amateur astronomers with telescopes may glimpse it as it passes, Nasa added. | While it will be too small at that distance to see with the naked eye, amateur astronomers with telescopes may glimpse it as it passes, Nasa added. |
| The asteroid was first discovered on 31 August, and, at its closest approach, will be about one-tenth of the distance from the centre of the Earth to the moon, Nasa said in a statement. | The asteroid was first discovered on 31 August, and, at its closest approach, will be about one-tenth of the distance from the centre of the Earth to the moon, Nasa said in a statement. |
| It is expected to orbit near Earth again in the future. | It is expected to orbit near Earth again in the future. |
| In February 2013, a meteorite of a similar size exploded over Chelyabinsk in Central Russia, injuring more than 1,000 people. | In February 2013, a meteorite of a similar size exploded over Chelyabinsk in Central Russia, injuring more than 1,000 people. |
| Nasa currently tracks more than 11,000 asteroids in orbits that pass relatively close to Earth. | Nasa currently tracks more than 11,000 asteroids in orbits that pass relatively close to Earth. |