Saturday, November 05, 2011

Huge asteroid headed for close encounter with Earth


A huge asteroid will pass closer to Earth than the moon Tuesday, giving scientists a rare chance for study without having to go through the time and expense of launching a probe, officials said.

Earth's close encounter with Asteroid 2005 YU 55 will occur at 6:28 p.m. EST (2328 GMT) Tuesday, as the space rock sails about 201,000 miles from the planet.

"It is the first time since 1976 that an object of this size has passed this closely to the Earth. It gives us a great -- and rare -- chance to study a near-Earth object like this," astronomer Scott Fisher, a program director with the National Science Foundation, said Thursday during a Web chat with reporters. To read more, click here.

Asteroid 2005 YU 55 is a reminder of the precariousness of life. Another asteroid might collide with the earth or the moon and write the closing chapter to human history on this planet.

In other countries and in our own backyard are 3,800 unengaged, unreached people groups that have not heard the gospel. They face an eternity seperated from God. God is calling us to take the gospel to them. What is your church doing to reach them? What are you doing?

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