2002 MN
Encyclopedia
2002 MN is the provisional name given to an asteroid that on June 14, 2002 missed the Earth
by only 75,000 miles (120,000 km.), about one third the distance to the Moon (0.3 LD
). According to NASA, it was the second closest approach to Earth in recorded historyhttp://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news130.html. Its mass and relative velocity were in the same general range as the object ascribed to the Tunguska event
of 1908, which levelled over 800 mi2 of trees in Siberia
.
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
by only 75,000 miles (120,000 km.), about one third the distance to the Moon (0.3 LD
LD
LD may refer to:In science and mathematics:*Lethal dose#, where "#" represents the percentage of test organisms killed by a specific dosage , e.g...
). According to NASA, it was the second closest approach to Earth in recorded historyhttp://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news130.html. Its mass and relative velocity were in the same general range as the object ascribed to the Tunguska event
Tunguska event
The Tunguska event, or Tunguska blast or Tunguska explosion, was an enormously powerful explosion that occurred near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in what is now Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, at about 7:14 a.m...
of 1908, which levelled over 800 mi2 of trees in Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
.