SCIENCE - Asteroid No Threat to Earth in 2040

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Asteroid 2011 AG5, measuring 460 feet (140 meters) wide, will not hit Earth in the year 2040, scientists have confirmed. CREDIT: Gemini Observatory

A huge asteroid that will creep near Earth in 28 years will pass harmlessly by, a new study confirms.

New observations of the asteroid 2011 AG5 now give astronomers complete confidence that the 460–foot-wide (140 meters) space rock won't hit Earth in the year 2040. When it was discovered last year, scientists said that 2011 AG5 had a 1-in-500 chance of impact with our planet.

Astronomers solidified the asteroid's harmless status during an observation campaign in October using the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii. The finding added more support to a NASA study that came to a similar conclusion in June based on months of observations of asteroid 2011 AG5.

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