There’s a different kind of Halloween sequel in the works, and it’s coming soon to the skies near Earth.
A skull-like asteroid that passed Earth in October 2015 is coming back for another visit in early November. Officially named 2015 TB145, the asteroid has been called The Great Pumpkin by NASA because of its Halloween flyby three years ago.
2015 TB145 has also been described as a “death comet” because it’s believed to be a dead comet and because of its skull shape, which was picked up on radar images from the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico:
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“We found that the object reflects about 6 percent of the light it receives from the sun,” Vishnu Reddy, a research scientist at the Planetary Science Institute, said in a 2015 news release. “That is similar to fresh asphalt, and while here on Earth we think that is pretty dark, it is brighter than a typical comet which reflects only 3 to 5 percent of the light. That suggests it could be cometary in origin ― but as there is no coma evident, the conclusion is it is a dead comet.”
(Photo: NAIC-Arecibo/NSF)
Despite the spooky appearance and nicknames, 2015 TB145 will pose no threat to life on Earth. After flying within 310,000 miles of the planet three years ago, the closest the comet will come this time around is 24 million miles on Nov. 11, Mother Nature Network reported.
This illustration shows the doughnut-shaped asteroid belt situated between the planets Mars and Jupiter.
Asteroids In Space
Artist rendering of asteroids in space
Asteroid Vesta
Image captured by NASAs Dawn spacecraft in 2012.
Vesta Close-up
Close-up of Vesta photographed by NASAs Dawn spacecraft. Scientists believe the asteroid may contain water ice.
Asteroid Itokawa
The near-Earth asteroid Itokawa. The boulder-free, smooth areas are filled with small, uniformly-sized particles.
Another Angle of Itokawa
Itokawa asteroid photographed by Japans Hayabusa spacecraft.
Itokawa (3)
A third image of asteroid Itokawa photographed by Japans Hayabusa spacecraft in 2005.
Asteroid Ceres (1)
The largest object in the asteroid belt is the circular shaped Ceres. Since 2015, NASA's Dawn spacecraft has orbited and photographed the nearly 600-mile-wide dwarf planet, including its numerous brightly lit areas, like the two bright lights of the crater called Occator.
Ceres (2)
Ceres Occator crater -- photographed by the Dawn spacecraft -- is 57 miles across and 25 miles deep and includes very bright surface areas that scientists suggest may be caused by volcanic activity, icy origins or salt deposits.
Earth, Moon, Ceres Size Comparison
A comparison of the size differences between Earth, the moon and asteroid Ceres.
Asteroid Lutetia (1)
Image of asteroid Lutetia captured by European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft on July 10, 2010.
Lutetia (2)
Asteroid Lutetia close-up view as captured by Europe's Rosetta spacecraft in July 2010.
The Halloween Asteroid
Individual radar images of the Halloween asteroid, 2015 TB145, photographed Oct. 31, 2015, by NASA's DSS-14 antenna in Goldstone, California, and the Green Bank telescope in West Virginia.
Asteroid Gaspra
Over 600 craters larger than 100 meters in diameter are seen in this image of the irregularly shaped Gaspra asteroid, photographed by the Galileo spacecraft on Oct. 29, 1991.
Asteroid Mathilde
Asteroid Mathilde was photographed on June 27, 1997, by NASA's NEAR -- Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous -- spacecraft, 2,400 km away from the asteroid.
Asteroid Eros
Close-up image of Eros photographed by NASA's Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous spacecraft in 2000.
Asteroid Steins
The 5-km-wide asteroid, Steins, photographed at 800 km. Scientists don't know how the asteroid survived the impact that left a 15-km crater.
Asteroid 2017 BQ6
This 11-image composite of asteroid 2017 BQ6 was created by radar data from NASA's Goldstone Solar System Radar in California's Mojave Desert, Feb. 5, 2017, just five hours before the space rock's closest approach to Earth.
Near-Earth Asteroid 2005 YU55
Near-Earth asteroid 2005 YU55, a potentially dangerous item, was photographed by the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico on April 19, 2010, about 1 million miles from Earth.
Asteroid Ida 243 and Small Moon Dactyl
The Galileo spacecraft snapped this image of asteroid 243 Ida and its small moon Dactyl.
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