The 3-mile wide asteroid is roughly half the size of the asteroid believed to have killed off the dinosaurs and is shaped like a peanut. Named 4179 Toutatis, the asteroid is currently listed as a potentially hazardous space object, whose collision with Earth would have dramatic consequences.
Don't worry though, at 4.3-million miles, Toutatis will be 18 times the distance between the Earth and the moon (lunar distances), and scientists agree the chances of a collision are incredibly slim. The only long-term issue is that Toutatis operates on a slightly chaotic orbit, making it difficult to predict the distant future.
The Slooh Space Camera held a live stream of the asteroid's passing.
"We will be tracking Asteroid Toutatis live from two observatory locations - Canary Islands, off the coast of Africa and Arizona," president of Slooh Patrick Paolucci said. . . .
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See Also:
VIDEO | City Block-Size Asteroid Zips by Earth as Scientists Watch
Newly Discovered Asteroid Belt May Contain Earthlike Planets
VIDEO | Global Catastrophe Passed By; Asteroid Misses Earth By a Hair!
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