The asteroid dubbed 2012 DA14, shown here in a NASA simulation,
will zoom by Earth on Friday. A 150-foot asteroid estimated to
weigh 143,000 tons offered astronomers and armchair audiences
alike a rare spectacle when it whizzed close by the Blue Planet
on Friday. The chunk of space rock, discovered by amateur
astronomers in Spain and not-so-catchily dubbed 2012 DA14, moved
Friday closer to us than ever before. That happened near the
Indonesian island of Sumatra at about 2:24 p.m. ET. The asteroid
will still be visible as it moves away from earth this evening.
Here's what you should know about the asteroid's historic
travels and why you should count yourself lucky. A historic
flyby Flybys like Friday's only occur once every 40 years.
Photos and Videos How Safe Is That Asteroid? NASA Answers Dr.
Dante Lauretta, principal investigator for NASA's OSIRIS-REx
asteroid investigation, discusses an asteroid that will pass a
little more than 17,000 miles above the earth's surface. Private
Company Aims to "Harvest" Extr