Part 5/7:
In addition to rocket launches and military space missions, the Earth welcomed a cosmic visitor this week. Asteroid 887 Alinda, one of the larger asteroids in our immediate celestial neighborhood, has approached Earth at its closest distance in a century.
Discovered by German astronomer Max Wolf in 1918, Alinda measures approximately 4 kilometers in diameter. During its recent close pass, the asteroid was calculated to have come within 12 million kilometers of Earth, about 32 times the average distance to the Moon. Despite the proximity, scientists reassure the public that Alinda poses no collision threat, as its orbit is deemed safe.