11.11.11 events prompt Great Pyramid closure

Egypt's antiquities authority temporarily closed the Great Pyramid of Giza to the public, following concerns over spiritual groups holding unauthorised gatherings at the site to mark 11.11.11. The official reason given for the partial closure of the pyramid, the tomb of the fourth dynasty pharaoh Khufu, was essential maintenance work. The pyramid is set to reopen as normal at the weekend.

Leonids meteor shower

On the night of 17 - 18 November 2011 the Leonids meteor shower reaches its peak. This is associated with comet Temple-Tuttle, which orbits the Sun once every 33 years, leaving a trail of debris in its wake. The earth passes through this trail once a year, and we see a meteor shower.

Asteroid ahead

An asteroid is set to pass relatively close to the earth this evening. Named 2005 YU55, the giant rock, about 400 metres (1,3000 feet) in diameter, will pass the closest it has ever been in the past 200 years, but still far enough away to avoid any danger of impact. The asteroid is estimated to be travelling at about 29,000 mph and will be about 201,700 miles (324,600 kilometers) away — closer than the moon, which orbits at an average 384,499 km (238,864 miles) from the earth.

Seven billion people on earth

Acording to the United Nations, the earth's population has just reached seven billion. However, the United States Census Bureau estimates that, with the world’s population increasing by 215,120 a day, the figure of seven billion will be reached in about four months' time. The discrepancy in these two calculations shows how difficult it is to predict the entire population of the world accurately - it is impossible to say on what day we actually reach that figure, although it is safe to say we are nearing the seven billion mark, give or take a few million.