%2d outputs a decimal (integer) number that fills at least 2 character spaces, padded with empty space. %6.2f outputs a floating point number that fills at least 6 character spaces (including the decimal separator), with exactly 2 digits after the ., padded with empty space. Good for dollar and pound currency amounts.
Asteroid hurtles towards earth. Scientists were today, January 4th, 2014, warning of a possible asteroid collision with the Earth.
This flyby will be the closest by any near-Earth asteroid with an absolute magnitude this bright since 1976 and until 2028, said Lance Benner, a research scientist at JPL and a specialist on radar imaging of near-Earth objects.