Earth is set for another spooky encounter with a comet that looks uncannily like a skull.
The space rock first passed ‘close’ to our planet at 78,000mph (125,500km/h) at a distance of 310,000 miles (499,000km) on October 31, 2015, just in time for Halloween.
Now, it’s set to make a return in November 2018, giving scientists another opportunity to study the strange phenomenon.
Earth is set for another spooky encounter with a dead comet that looks uncannily like a skull that first passed our planet at 78,000mph (125,500km/h) at a distance of 310,000 miles (499,000km) on October 31, 2015, just in time for Halloween (artist’s impression)
Experts studying the 2015 flyby of the object recently published a paper detailing their observations, which they hope to add to when it makes its comeback.
Scientists used observatories around the world, including from Hawaii using the Pan-STARRS telescope, to make their findings.
The rock, known as 2015 TB145, will flyby at a less dramatic distance than the last one.
The asteroid will zoom past the planet at about 105 Earth-moon distances, compared to just under 1.3 lunar distances last time around.
Astronomers analysing the 2015 readings found that the asteroid likely completes one rotation every 2.94 hours.
The object measures between 625 and 700 metres (2,000 to 2,300 feet), its shape is a slightly flattened ellipsoid, and its rotation axis was roughly perpendicular to the Earth at the time of its closest proximity.
The amount of heat which it retains and the speed at which it absorbs or transfers heat is consistent with that of similar sized asteroids.
The reflectivity or albedo of the surface of this asteroid is around five or six per cent.
In a written statement, researcher Pablo Santos-Sanz, from the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia, said: ‘This means that it is very dark, only slightly more reflective than charcoal.
‘It is currently 3.7 astronomical units away from Earth; that is, 3.7 times the average distance from the Earth to the sun.
‘It has a magnitude of 26.5, which means it is only visible from Earth using very large telescopes or space telescopes.
The full finding were published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
Back in 2015, the comet’s approach led to claims from conspiracy theorists that it could cause earthquakes and tsunamis.
One Reddit user said: ‘I assume it would wipe out any city it happened to hit.
Back in 2015, the comet’s approach led to claims from conspiracy theorists that it could cause earthquakes and tsunamis (artist’s impression)
The comet was observed by optical and radar observatories around the world, providing even more data, including this, our first close-up views of its surface
‘If it were to hit, there is a 71 per cent chance it will hit water.
‘A tsunami would be the biggest concern.’
Another added that it could mean ‘very bad things’.
They said: ‘The fireball would have an apparent radius of over eight km (five miles), and it’d cause an earthquake measuring in the high 7s on the Richter scale.’
Scientists think that the asteroid could in fact be an extinct comet which lost its volatile compounds after orbiting the Sun numerous times.
In general, asteroids and comets are distinguished by their composition, the former being more rocky and metallic, while the latter have a higher proportion of ice and rock.
Their type of orbit around the Sun also differs, but at times it is not easy to tell them apart and rhe boundaries between them are becoming increasingly diffuse.
Both were formed during the first stages of our solar system, which was born around 4.6 billion years ago.
Asteroid 2015 TB145 was discovered on October 10, 2015, by the University of Hawaii’s Pan-STARRS-1 (Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System) on Haleakala, Maui, part of the NASA-funded Near-Earth Object Observations (NEOO) Program.
Because of its erratic orbit, Nasa isn’t sure where it will go, but the space agency says it’s confident it will not hit Earth.
Dunia imewekwa kwa ajili ya kukutana nyingine ya kutisha na kometi ambayo inaonekana uncannily kama fuvu la kichwa. Mwamba huo ulipita karibu na sayari yetu kwa kasi ya kilomita 38,000 kwa saa tarehe 31 Oktoba 2015, wakati wa Halloween. Sasa, imepangwa kurudi mnamo Novemba 2018, ikitoa fursa nyingine kwa wanasayansi kujifunza jambo hili la ajabu. Dunia imewekwa kwa kukutana nyingine ya kutisha na kometi aliyekufa ambayo inaonekana ajabu kama fuvu la kichwa ambayo kwanza ilipita sayari yetu kwa kasi ya 78,000 mph (39,999 km h) Oktoba 31, 2015, tu kwa wakati wa Halloween, wataalamu wanaochunguza ndege ya 2015 ya kitu hicho hivi karibuni kuchapishwa karatasi maelezo ya uchunguzi wao, ambayo wanatarajia kuongeza wakati inakuja. Wataalamu wa sayari hiyo walitumia vituo vya uchunguzi duniani kote, kutia ndani vya Hawaii, kutumia darubini ya Pan-STARRS, ili kufanya uchunguzi huo. Mwamba huo unaoitwa 2015 TB-145 utapita karibu na sayari ya Uranus kwa umbali mdogo kuliko ule wa mwisho. Asteroid hiyo itapita karibu na sayari hiyo kwa umbali wa umbali wa umbali wa karibu na umbali wa mwezi, ikilinganishwa na umbali wa umbali wa karibu na umbali wa mwezi wakati wa ziara ya kwanza. Wataalamu wa nyota waliochunguza takwimu za mwaka 2015, waligundua kwamba huenda asteroid hiyo ilizunguka mzunguko wake mara moja kila baada ya saa 2.94 za kuzunguka. Chombo hicho kina urefu wa mita 625 hadi 700, umbo lake ni ellipsoid iliyopigwa kidogo, na mhimili wake wa mzunguko ulikuwa karibu na Dunia wakati wa ukaribu wake wa karibu. Kiasi cha joto ambalo huhifadhi na kasi ambayo huchukua au kuhamisha joto ni sawa na ile ya asteroids za ukubwa sawa. Albedo ya uso wa asteroid hii ni karibu asilimia tano au sita. "Pablo Santos-Sans, mtafiti wa Taasisi ya Astrophysics ya Andalusia, alisema: ""Hii ina maana kwamba ni giza sana, tu kidogo zaidi ya kutafakari kuliko makaa ya mawe." Kwa sasa, dunia iko umbali wa vituo vya nyota 3.7 kutoka kwa dunia, ambayo ni mara 3.7 ya umbali wa wastani kutoka kwa dunia hadi jua. "Kuna ukubwa wa 26.5 na inaonekana tu kutoka duniani kwa kutumia darubini kubwa sana au darubini za angani.""" Matokeo kamili ya utafiti huo yalichapishwa katika jarida la Astronomy & Astrophysics. Katika mwaka 2015, kometi hiyo ilisababisha madai ya wanatheoria wa njama kwamba inaweza kusababisha matetemeko ya ardhi na tsunami. Mtumiaji mmoja wa Reddit alisema: 'Nadhani ingeharibu jiji lolote ambalo lingegonga. "Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo awali, kometi hiyo ilishuhudia ""mashambulizi ya dunia"" na ""mashambulizi ya bahari"" na ""mashambulizi ya bahari"" na ""mashambulizi ya bahari"" na ""mashambulizi ya bahari"" na ""mashambulizi ya bahari"" na ""mashambulizi ya bahari"" na ""mashambulizi ya bahari"" na ""mashambulizi ya bahari"" na ""mashambulizi ya bahari.""" "Tsunami ingekuwa wasiwasi mkubwa zaidi". Mwingine aliongeza kwamba inaweza kumaanisha "mambo mabaya sana". "Wanasayansi wanasema kwamba ""ngome hiyo ya moto itakuwa na radius ya zaidi ya kilomita nane, na itasababisha tetemeko la ardhi la kiwango cha juu cha 7 kwenye kiwango cha Richter.""Wanasayansi wanafikiri kwamba asteroid hiyo inaweza kuwa kometi iliyokufa ambayo ilipoteza misombo yake ya kutoweka baada ya kuzunguka jua mara nyingi." Kwa ujumla, asteroidi na kometi hutofautishwa na muundo wao, ya kwanza ikiwa na miamba na metali zaidi, wakati ya pili ina uwiano mkubwa wa barafu na mwamba. Aina ya mzunguko wao kuzunguka jua pia hutofautiana, lakini wakati mwingine si rahisi kuwaambia tofauti na mipaka kati yao ni kuwa zaidi na zaidi kuenea. Zote mbili zilianzishwa katika hatua za kwanza za mfumo wetu wa jua, ambao ulizaliwa karibu miaka bilioni 4.6 iliyopita. Asteroid TB-145 iligunduliwa Oktoba 10, 2015 na Pan-STARRS-1 (Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System) ya Chuo Kikuu cha Hawaii huko Haleakala, Maui, sehemu ya mpango wa NASA wa uchunguzi wa vitu vya karibu na dunia (NEOO). Kwa sababu ya mzunguko wake usio wa kawaida, NASA haijui itaenda wapi, lakini shirika la anga linasema lina uhakika kwamba halitaanguka duniani.