Near-Earth Asteroid 4179 Toutatis Comes By Again On September 29, 2004

August 27, 2004  Pasadena, California - Internet rumors have circulated this year that in September 2004, an asteroid will strike Earth and cause great devastation. An asteroid is going to pass the Earth's orbit on September 29th, but there astronomers and asteroid specialists say there is no chance for a hit. The Near-Earth-Passing asteroid is called 4179 Toutatis, a very strangely-shaped rock that was first discovered by C. Pollas on January 4, 1989, at Caussols, France, on photographic plates taken on the 0.9-m Schmidt telescope by Alain Maury and Derral Mulholland during astrometric observations of Jupiter's faint satellites. Toutatis is the long streak in the image below.