Asteroid likely to miss Mars

PASADENA, Calif., Jan. 12 (UPI) -- U.S. astronomers in Pasadena, Calif., said it is unlikely that an asteroid will collide with Mars at the end of this month.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology said tracking measurements of asteroid 2007 WD5 from four different observatories indicate a significantly reduced probability -- to .01 percent -- that it will make impact with Mars, effectively ruling out a possible collision with the planet.

The agency's best estimate as of Thursday was that 2007 WD5 will pass about 16,000 miles from the planet's center at around 1 p.m. EST on Jan. 30.

"With 99.7 percent confidence, the pass should be no closer than 4,000 km (2,485 miles) from the surface," the lab said in a release.