Asteroid comes close
Poster: Aron Schatz
Posted on January 4, 2003 at 4:30:34 PM
There is an asteroid that scientists describe as playing cat and mouse with the Earth. It comes close every 95 years due to the fact that it has nearly the same orbit as Earth. This 200ft asteroid won't hit us though.
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"The combined gravitational effects of the Earth and sun will nudge the asteroid onto a slightly faster track just inside Earth's, and it will begin to pull ahead," he said.
In 95 years, the asteroid will have advanced all the way around to where it is catching up to the Earth from behind. A similar interaction with gravity from both the Earth and sun will then push the asteroid back onto a slower outside track, and the pattern will repeat.