Asteroid 2012 DA14 made a record-close pass -- 17,100 miles -- by Earth on February 15, 2013. (Photo: NASA)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP/CNN/ABC) - A newly discovered asteroid will buzz 'very close' to Earth this weekend, NASA says, reminding us how vulnerable we are to asteroids hurtling through space.
At closest approach Sunday, the 60-foot rock will pass a safe 25,000 miles over New Zealand. That's about one-tenth the distance between here and the moon. It's also beyond the orbit of our highest communication and weather satellites.
NASA says this latest near-Earth asteroid - called 20214 RC (R-C) - poses no threat to either the home planet or orbiting spacecraft. A space rock of about the same size blasted through the atmosphere over Russia's Ural Mountains in 2013, causing considerable damage.
Astronomers in Arizona detected 2014 RC the night of Aug. 31.
The asteroid won't be visible the naked eye, stargazers will need telescopes to see Sunday's flyby about 2:18 p.m. EDT. If you miss it, don't worry. It will be back in the neighborhood again one day.
Meantime, NASA is trying to speed up the way it tracks potentially hazardous asteroids and to learn how to deflect rocks that threaten Earth. Its Asteroid Initiative includes a plan to capture an asteroid and tug it into orbit around the moon in the 2020s. If it works, astronauts will land on the asteroid, take samples and bring them back to Earth.
Entities 0 Name: NASA Count: 4 1 Name: Earth Count: 4 2 Name: moon Count: 2 3 Name: Arizona Count: 1 4 Name: Ural Mountains Count: 1 5 Name: CAPE CANAVERAL Count: 1 6 Name: New Zealand Count: 1 7 Name: Fla. Count: 1 8 Name: Russia Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/WkYM4r Title: Newfound asteroid will give Earth super-close shave on Sunday Description: By Miriam Kramer, Staff Writer Earth is about to have a close encounter with a house-sized asteroid on Sunday (Sept. 7), when a space rock discovered just days ago will zoom by our planet at a range closer than some satellites. But have no fear, NASA says the asteroid won't hit Earth.
Post a Comment for "Asteroid will pass 'very close' to Earth on Sunday, NASA says"