● NASA broadcast the video of an asteroid that grazed the Earth

The average asteroid 400 meters long and 200 meters wide :

NASA reveals a video that shows an asteroid 400 meters long and 200 meters wide which passed very close to Earth . The space rock shaped like a large peanut flew past our planet on February 10, 2014 .

Similar in shape to the asteroid Itokawa :

Image NASA asteroid Itokawa.

The images of asteroid 2006 DP14 were captured on February 11, 2014 , although astronomers calculated that the object came from high fashion to Earth a day early, when it passed 2.4 million miles of our planet. In time of image acquisition the asteroid was about 4.2 million kilometers from Earth , ie , about 11 times the distance between Earth and the Moon.

The video compiles images of the asteroid taken for about two hours . Given that the rotation period of the asteroid around its axis is about six hours , astronomers were able to see almost half of its surface.

The asteroid is elongated because it is a contact binary asteroid . That means is formed by two different lobes are in contact apparently due to gravitation .

Catch the asteroid was made ​​possible by a radar located 70 meters in diameter at the Goldstone Observatory (California ) , used by NASA .

The radar is a powerful technique to study an asteroid the size , shape, rotation state , surface features and surface roughness , and to improve the calculation of orbits of asteroids. Radar measurements of distances and speeds asteroids often allow the calculation of asteroid orbits much farther in the future than if radar observations were not available.

Video asteroid grazed the Earth:

NASA gives high priority to monitoring asteroids and protect our home planet thereof. In fact , the United States has the most robust and productive survey and detection program the location of near-Earth objects. To date, U.S. assets have discovered more than 98 percent of known near- Earth objects. agency and other contracts from NASA.

Link to website :  NASA.