科技英语新闻:Huge asteroid will pass closer to Earth than the moon

BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhuanet) -- A huge asteroid will pass closer to Earth than the moon on Tuesday, but experts say there is no cause for alarm.

Asteroid 2005 YU 55 will pass about 300-thousand kilometers from the earth. The giant space rock is about 400 meters in diameter. The close encounter will occur at 23:28 Greenwich Mean Time. Computer models showing the asteroid’s path for the next 100 years show there is no chance it will hit Earth during that time.

Previous studies show the asteroid is what is called a C-type asteroid that is likely made of carbon-based materials and some silicate rock.