UNITED STATES (AP) — The space rock, dubbed 2024 MK, will be at its closest to Earth on Monday, passing within three-quarters of the distance from the planet to the moon. It was first spotted two weeks ago by an observatory in South Africa and measures between 400 and 820 feet (120 to 260 meters) wide.
Smaller objects pass by Earth all the time, said Davide Farnocchia, an asteroid expert at NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies. Asteroids this size pass by about every 25 years.
“We’re going to see a few of these asteroids in our lifetime, but not something that happens every day,” he said.
A 2,310-meter (7,500-foot) asteroid passed safely by the planet on Thursday, but it was farther away and could only be seen with professional telescopes. On this day, the curious will need a small telescope, as the rock is not bright enough to be detected with the naked eye. It will also be moving at high speed across the southern sky, making it difficult to observe.
“The asteroid will pass through that star field,” said Nick Moskovitz, an astronomer at Lowell Observatory.
In the Southern Hemisphere, there will be a better chance of seeing it since it will appear higher up. Those in the United States may have to wait until Saturday night, when it will appear less bright but will be more easily seen without the interference of the Sun’s blinding light. If you can’t see it this time, aim for April 13, 2029, when an asteroid called Apophis will pass by Earth and be visible to the naked eye from parts of Europe, Africa and Asia.
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2024-07-03 16:35:43