Massive asteroid misses Earth by 'whisker'

[Rayden]

Massive asteroid misses Earth by 'whisker'

Asteroid with a diameter of 2.7km came within a few million miles of Earth.

Last Modified: 01 Jun 2013 11:12

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The QE2 1998 was many times larger than the one that blasted over Russia in February

A massive asteroid with a diameter of 2.7km had a 'close shave' with Earth.

The QE2 1998 flew past the planet at a distance of about 5.8 million kilometres, or 15 times the distance of the moon - a relatively short distance in cosmic terms.

The asteroid is significantly bigger than the one that blasted over Russia in February.

Al Jazeera's Gerald Tan reports.