AceBreakingNews – If you’re a fan of astronomy, it will be worth turning your eyes to the skies this evening.
Ace Press News From Cutting Room Floor: Published: Jun.29: 2024: NASA Space News Report & ABC News Report: TELEGRAM Ace Daily News Link https://t.me/YouMeUs2
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In an astronomical coincidence, two asteroids are passing by Earth and will both be most visible for Australians today.
Here’s a breakdown on what’s happening and how you can watch.
What’s happening?
Two large asteroids are safely passing Earth this week. They are:
- 2011 UL21
- 2024 MK
The occurrence is especially notable for astronomers because 2024 MK was only discovered on June 16.
It also happens to come days before World Asteroid Day on June 30.
How close will they get?
2011 UL21 was closest to Earth earlier this morning, with a distance of 6,634,279 kilometres.
That’s about 17 times further than the Moon, according to the European Space Agency.
This is the asteroid’s closest orbit since it was first discovered in October 2011.
Meanwhile, 2024 MK will approach Earth at a distance of about 290,000 kilometres late Saturday.
At that stage, it will be pass nearer to Earth than the Moon.Loading…
How big are the asteroids?
Headlines have described 2011 UL21 as ‘mountain-sized’ and a ‘planet killer’.
That’s because the space rock is 2.3 kilometres wide, which makes it larger than most near-Earth objects.
2024 MK is a fair bit smaller.
Its diameter is believed to be between 122 and 256 metres.
While that sounds quite little in comparison to 2011 UL21, both would have the capacity to do quite a lot of damage if they were ever to strike Earth.
For comparison, the meteor that struck Chelyabinsk in Russia on February 13, 2013 was just 18 metres in diameter but injured more than 1,600 people, according to NASA.
On the other end of the spectrum, the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs is estimated to have been between 10 and 15 kilometres.
But it’s important to note there’s no danger of either 2011 UL21 or 2024 MK colliding with Earth.
In fact, NASA says there is currently no threat of impact from any known asteroid “for the next hundred years or more”.
How can I see them?
While both will be most visible for Australian stargazers tonight, you won’t be able to see them without some help.
A small telescope will be needed to get a good view.
If you don’t have one handy, Dr Lance A M Benner at the California Institute of Technology’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory suggested binoculars could be enough to spot 2024 MK from areas with dark skies.
You can check where to look for UL21 in the night sky via In-The-Sky.org, an astronomy project run by European Space Agency data scientist Dominic Ford.
Meanwhile, The Sky Live is tracking 2024 MK, so you can find guides on where to look there.
If you miss the asteroids tonight, the Virtual Telescope Project will livestream a visual feed of 2024 MK early Sunday morning.
The team has already run a similar stream, sharing the view of UL21 from the Bellatrix Astronomical Observatory in Ceccano, Italy.
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