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Space Rocks and

Constellations

Chan Yuk Ming, Ivan 5C (2) & Hui Tsz Kei, Ivy 5C (16)
Amateur astronomers often observe asteroids in outer space. This year, several
asteroids have orbited or will orbit near our Earth. They belong to a category called

Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs). Here are some Asteroids of the Year:

2019 OK is an asteroid which was detected by NASA on 24 July, when it was

1,500,000 km from the Earth. The day after the discovery, it flew by the Earth very
closely. It nearly hit the Earth, which would have caused human extinction. This is
a rare asteroid of this size to pass within 10,000 km of Earth and it has stimulated
discussions and speculation on NASA’s evident need for fresh and better telescopes to
respond to the growing threat of space rocks.

Before Christmas, there was another asteroid heading our way. It is called
216258 2006 WH1. This is more than 500 meters wide, meaning that the asteroid is
big enough to wipe out a city. Luckily, the world did not come to an end last December,

even though a gigantic monster was coming towards us. If the asteroid hit the Earth, it
would kill millions and force many into a brutal fight for survival in a post-cataclysm
hell world.

Aside from asteroids, amateur astronomers also observe constellations. They are

far more beautiful and at the same time mythical.

Constellations originated in Cuban Babylon, one of the four ancient civilizations.
The ancient Babylonians divided the sky into many areas. The beginning of the 12

constellations was used to measure time, but not to represent the characteristics of a
person.

Nowadays, some of the people are superstitious about constellations. Constellations
allows them to know more about themselves and others. As different constellations

represent different personalities, people would see whether they match with the kind of
person that constellations tell to predict their career, health and even marriage.

In addition, some people may check the daily horoscope, which shows the overall

fortune of a day. However, we should not be too superstitious about constellations as
they were only used to measure time in the past. After all, there is no scientific basis
proving that constellations can be used to show the personality.

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