|
Asteroid 4179 Toutatis was discovered on January 4, 1989 by French astronomers observing Jupiter's satellites. The huge asteroid, which is some 2.9 miles (4.6 kilometers) long and 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) wide, was named after a Celtic god who features prominently in the Asterix comic book series popular in France. (Toutatis protects Asterix and his friends, who fear nothing except the possibility that the sky may fall on their heads someday.)
Toutatis has a four-year orbit that extends from just inside the Earth's orbit to the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It frequently approaches very close to earth. Its closest approach to earth was on September 29, 2004, when it was 962,951 miles (1,549,719 kilometers) away. Since you are reading this entry after this date, you know that the panicky doomsday rumors about an impending collision between Toutatis and the Earth that spread on the Internet during the months leading up to September 2004 were not true. It was said that if Toutatis were to collide with the Earth, it would release energy equivalent to tens of thousands of hydrogen bombs and completely obliterate the light of the sun.
Last updated: March 06, 2005.
