An asteroid will pass harmlessly past Earth this weekend. With the right equipment and timing, you might be able to identify it.
Called 2024 MK, the space rock will make its closest approach to Earth on Saturday morning, passing about three-quarters of the distance from Earth to the Moon. It was first spotted two weeks ago by a South African observatory and is about from 120 to 260 meters wide.
Smaller objects pass by Earth all the time, according to asteroid expert Davide Farnocchia of NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies. Asteroids the size of the latter fly by every 25 years or so.
“We will see some of these in our lifetimes, but it’s not something that happens every day,” he said.
A 2,310-meter (7,579-foot) asteroid safely passed Earth on Thursday, but it was farther away and only visible through professional telescopes.
For Saturday, skywatchers will need a small telescope, as the asteroid is not bright enough to be seen with the naked eye. And it will be moving quickly across the southern sky, making it difficult to spot.
“The asteroid will pass through this star field,” said Nick Moskovitz, an astronomer at Lowell Observatory.
Viewers in the Southern Hemisphere will have a better chance of seeing it, as the asteroid will appear higher. Those in the US may want to wait until Saturday night, when the asteroid may appear less bright but will be easier to spot without the interference of the Sun’s blinding light.
If you miss it, mark your calendar for April 13, 2029, when an asteroid called Apophis will pass by Earth and be visible to the naked eye in parts of Europe, Africa and Asia.
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