Hey diddle diddle: 2005 YU55

Tomorrow, November 8, 2011, asteroid 2005 YU55 will pass very close to the earth, reaching its nearest point, about 200,000 miles (325,000 km) from Earth, at 6:28 p.m. EST. This is closer than the Moon orbits our planet.


Fortunately, the orbit of this asteroid is very well known, and there is no chance of collision with either the Earth or the Moon. (Or at least that's what they want you to think. NASA has lied to us before...)


Unfortunately, nobody has bothered to give this 790 foot (325 m) diameter asteroid an official name yet. As I've repeatedly said in the past, I won't stand for that. Therefore, in honor of the fact that this cow is obviously jumping over the moon, I hereby bestow upon it the nickname "Diddle" in honor of the old nursery rhyme:

Hey diddle diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon,
The little dog laughed to see such a sight,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.