WASHINGTON — Planet Earth has a close call coming up next week. An asteroid one-third of a mile across will pass about 745,000 miles from Earth on the night of Jan. 26, and 小萝莉影视 Space Contributor Greg Redfern, says you can spot it if you know where to look.
鈥淭his is a definite miss,鈥� Redfern says, but a relatively close one as these things go. 鈥淚t is the largest space rock that we know of that鈥檚 going to fly by Earth until the year 2027.鈥�
The asteroid is code-named 2004 BL86, and Redfern says, 鈥淲e know that it was part of the beginning of the solar system.鈥�
Dr. Don Yeomans, retiring head of NASA鈥檚 Near-Earth Object Program at the jet propulsion laboratory in Pasadena, California, 鈥渨hile it poses no threat to Earth for the foreseeable future, it鈥檚 a relatively close approach by a relatively large asteroid, so it provides us a unique opportunity to observe and learn more.鈥�
You won鈥檛 be able to see 2004 BL86 with your naked eye, but if you鈥檙e an amateur astronomer who knows what to look for, Redfern says, you can spot it.
The website has advice on how to spot it.
By the way, that 2027 rock? says the latest estimates project it鈥檒l come within 19,000 miles. Hold on tight.
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