2/15/13
130,000-Ton Asteroid Heading Toward Earth
Scientists are keeping a close eye on the asteroid as it's set to fly by Friday.
Transcript for 130,000-Ton Asteroid Heading Toward Earth
they can't get to 60.
Jon karl, thank you very much.
Now, we're going to get to an enormous asteroid in outer space heading towards earth.
Scientists are watching it very closely.
Abc's john muller has the story.
The size of texas.
My god.
Reporter: It's not quite "armageddon.
" But it is massive, frightening and getting closer by the hour.
Its name, da-14.
And it weighs 130,000 metric tons, more than a cruise ship.
If that doesn't impress you, it's half size of a football field.
And it's whizzing through space eight-times faster than a bullet fired from a gun.
This animation made by scientists shows it will come within 17,000 miles of the earth tomorrow.
An astronomically close shave, worthy of "star wars.
" ♪ the hair-raising track has da-14 sliding inside the 22,000 mile orbits of commun satellites.
Hold on to your smartphones.
It's a lang shot.
But some experts say collision with a satellite is possible.
What's absolutely impossible, a collision with the earth.
That's not going to happen.
At least not this time.
We know about 1% of these objects.
There's 99% of them out there, ready to destroy tokyo, paris, new york, or land in the middle of the pacific ocean.
Reporter: Well, we won't be blowing up da-14, scientists will study this near-miss closely.
Someday we will be on track for a direct hit.
And superscience will need to save the day.
For "good morning america," john muller, abc news, new york.
Just like in the movies.
Yep.
