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ODDBALL ASTEROID CAPTURED ON NEW VIDEO COMPUTER SIMULATION

     A new computer-generated video visualization is giving 
planetary scientists a fresh look at the topsy-turvy rotation 
of the intriguing asteroid Toutatis, which is due to pass 
near Earth on Nov. 29.


     The video is of particular interest as Toutatis nears 
Earth and makes its closest approach on Friday, Nov. 29, when 
it will pass by at a distance of 3.3 million miles (5.3 
million kilometers), or about 14 times the distance from the 
Earth to the Moon.  In 2004, Toutatis will pass only four 
lunar distances from Earth, closer than any known Earth-
approaching object expected to pass by in the next 60 years. 

     Discovered in 1989 and named after a Celtic god, the 
asteroid Toutatis has dimensions of 2.9 by 1.5 by 1.2 miles 
(4.6 by 2.4 by 1.9 kilometers.) It is considered one of the 
strangest bodies in the Solar System, given its peculiar 
rotation and odd shape, which resembles two chunks of rock 
connected by a narrow neck-like structure. The rocky body's 
strange traits are believed to be the result of a history of 
violent collisions.

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Bill Hilbrich           St. Cloud, Minnesota            hilbrich@cloudnet.com

   Death has no sting.. Just the destruction of the Ego and Ultimate Peace
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