Hawaii astronomers shoot asteroid's photo as it flies by

By Jim Borg

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Nov 10, 2011

~~<p>As asteroid 2005 YU55 sped away from its close encounter with Earth on Tuesday, astronomers in Hawaii snapped its photo using one of the world's largest optical-infrared telescopes.</p>
<p>The image from the Keck II Telescope, made possible with adaptive optics that correct for atmospheric distortion, shows a 788-foot-wide spherical rock with no smaller orbiting companions.</p>
~~

As asteroid 2005 YU55 sped away from its close encounter with Earth on Tuesday, astronomers in Hawaii snapped its photo using one of the world's largest optical-infrared telescopes.

The image from the Keck II Telescope, made possible with adaptive optics that correct for atmospheric distortion, shows a 788-foot-wide spherical rock with no smaller orbiting companions. Login for more...