Skull-Shaped Asteroid makes Halloween Pass

Earth is in for a nasty scare this Halloween.  An asteroid that bears and eerie resemblance to a skull will pass within 302-thousand miles of the earth around 8:00am Houston time on October 31st.  

According to NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, asteroid 2015 TB145 is likely a dead comet that has shed its volatiles after numerous passes around the sun.  It is approximately 2,000 feet (600 meters) in diameter and completes a rotation about once every five hours.  

The data collected from the pass may finally put to rest the debate over whether 2015 TB145, with its unusual orbit, is an asteroid or is of cometary origin.

As it passes, scientist hope to learn more about its possible origins. 

To see a picture of the skull-shaped asteroid...


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