Halloween 2015 for skywatchers: Newly discovered asteroid makes close approach to Earth

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NASA's scientists discovered a new asteroid on October 10, 2015, using the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) mounted on Mount Haleakala, Hawai'i. Asteroid was named 2015 TB145, and is expected to make the closest approach to our planet since 2006, on October 31.

Newly discovered asteroid is expected to make a flyby on October 31, 17:18 UTC, at about 1.3 lunar distances from the Earth, which is equivalent to approximately 499 000 km (310 000 miles). The object is estimated to be between approximately 300 and 470 m (984 to 1 541 feet) in diameter. The asteroid's encounter velocity is about 126 000 km/h (78 292 mph), which is an unusually high speed, according to NASA JPL's report.

2015 TB145's eccentricity values reach 0.86, making it a very eccentric object with a high inclination estimated at approximately 40°. Asteroid's Tisserand parameter, used in astronomy to distinguish between different kinds of planetoid orbits, is showing values of 2.973, suggesting the object might be cometary in nature.

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