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Monster Asteroid Which Could Cause Earthquakes and Volcanoes Will Skim Past Earth on Xmas Eve





A colossal asteroid so big some claim its gravitational pull could cause earthquakes and volcanoes on Earth is set to skim past the planet on Christmas Eve. The 1.5 mile wide slab of space rock - known as 2003 SD220 - is so large it could potentially wipe out a continent in the case of a direct hit.

This monster asteroid is one of 17 being closely monitored by Nasa and other astronomy experts due to its proximity to earth.

Scientists now believe this asteroid, and some others, could be even bigger than calculated as it is thought part of their mass may have been shrouded in darkness.

The news may fuel rumours by conspiracy theorists that a mysterious Planet X four times the size of Jupiter will pass the Earth this month.
A Nasa report said: "We propose radar imaging, physical characterisation, and orbit refinement of our 17 highest-priority NEAs for the calendar year 2015 using 294 hours.
"Radar is arguably the most powerful Earth-based technique for post-discovery physical and dynamical characterisation of near-Earth asteroids (NEAs).
"Over the long term, our observations will help answer fundamental questions regarding the origin of the diversity in asteroid morphologies, the importance of spin-up mechanisms and collisional influences, the interior structure and thermal properties of asteroids, and the variety of dynamical states."
The asteroid will miss Earth by 6.7 million miles but experts are concerned that the effect known as Yarkovsky drift could alter its orbit, reports the Express.

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