The Taurid meteor shower is upon us and there are some who say that there is evidence to suggest Earth is at greater risk than we thought of being hit by an asteroid associated with these meteors. Don’t worry. A new swarm of meteoroids – icy space debris left behind by a comet – are related to the Taurid meteor stream.
Three giant asteroids will pass Earth tomorrow, but NASA has not warned or alerted anyone. Asteroid 2018 VX1 was discovered November 4. It will pass about 381,000 kilometres away from Earth, which is 3,000 kilometres closer than our Moon’s average distance from us. And there are two more asteroids in the neighborhood Saturday.
It may sound dangerously close but as some news reports have said “all the planets in our solar system, including Pluto, can fit between Earth and the moon. So there is a lot of room out there.”
Don’t panic. It’s not Vogons wanting to demolish Earth in order to build a bypass for an intergalactic highway. But, just in case, have a beer, some peanuts, and carry a towel.
Weekends in Paradelle 