The too close for comfort department. Wednesday September 8, 2010 two asteroids navigate the narrow passage between earth and the moon.
Two asteroids passed close by the Earth Wednesday and may have been visible in telescopes as they zipped between our planet and the orbit of the moon.
The asteroids, which were not be visible to the naked eye, were discovered Sunday by astronomers with the Catalina Sky Survey near Tucson, Ariz. They are traveling along different orbits that, by coincidence, passed near Earth about 11 hours apart. [Photo of the asteroids' orbits near Earth.]
While scientists said neither asteroid threatened the planet, the two space rocks did provide a challenging skywatching opportunity.
"Both asteroids should be observable near closest approach to Earth with moderate-sized amateur telescopes," NASA officials said in a statement. "Neither of these objects has a chance of hitting Earth."
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