Photos: Huge Asteroid 2005 YU55 Flies Close By Earth in Nov. 2011

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By Space.com Staff
published

Green Bank Telescope

NRAO

The Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia, the largest steerable radio telescope in the world, is observing 86 planetary systems that may contain Earth-like planets in hopes of detecting signals from intelligent civilizations

Brian Warner, Palmer Divide Observatory

Brian Warner/Palmer Divide Observatory

Astronomer Brian Warner, director of the Palmer Divide Observatory, is leading a campaign of largely backyard astronomers to observe asteroid 2005 YU55 during its Nov. 8, 2011 close flyby of Earth.

Asteroid 2005 YU55 and Trajectory Diagram

Image: NASA/Cornell/Arecibo; Diagram: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Left: radar image of asteroid 2005 YU55 was generated from data taken in April 2010 by the Arecibo Radar Telescope in Puerto Rico. Right: diagram of the trajectory for asteroid 2005 YU55 — November 8-9, 2011

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Space.com Staff
Space.com Staff
News and editorial team

Space.com is the premier source of space exploration, innovation and astronomy news, chronicling (and celebrating) humanity's ongoing expansion across the final frontier. Originally founded in 1999, Space.com is, and always has been, the passion of writers and editors who are space fans and also trained journalists. Our current news team consists of Editor-in-Chief Tariq Malik; Editor Hanneke Weitering, Senior Space Writer Mike Wall; Senior Writer Meghan Bartels; Senior Writer Chelsea Gohd, Senior Writer Tereza Pultarova and Staff Writer Alexander Cox, focusing on e-commerce. Senior Producer Steve Spaleta oversees our space videos, with Diana Whitcroft as our Social Media Editor.