Giant asteroid will fly past Earth, Moon tomorrow

Saturday’s close encounter will give astronomers a chance to study a space rock from more than 100,000 miles (168,000 kilometers) away. It is less than half the distance of the moon from here, making it visible through binoculars and small telescopes.

The asteroid is so big it could easily wipe out a city, but the US space agency NASA Rest assured that the asteroid will not enter the Earth.

While asteroids are a common celestial creature, NASA said this latest asteroid is rare and can only be seen once per decade.

“A newly discovered #asteroid named 2023 DZ2 will safely pass Earth at a distance of 100K+ miles on Saturday. While close approaches are a regular occurrence, only one per decade by an asteroid of this size (140-310 feet) Occurs once in a while, provides a unique opportunity for science,” NASA tweeted.

Dubbed as 2023 DZ2, scientists estimate its size to be somewhere between 130 feet and 300 feet (40 meters and 90 meters).

The asteroid will pass within 320,000 miles (515,000 kilometers) of the moon on Saturday and several hours later will hit the Indian Ocean at a speed of about 17,500 mph (28,000 kph).

Astronomers at the Observatory of La Palma in Spain’s Canary Islands discovered 2023 DZ2 in late February this year. Since then scientists have studied the rock to note its orbit, size and anticipated trajectory.

The Virtual Telescope Project will provide a live webcast of the close approach.

The asteroid won’t fly our way again until 2026. Although it initially looked like it might hit Earth, scientists have since ruled it out.

Asteroid Viewing Time:

Asteroid 2023 DZ2 will make closest pass on March 25 at about 3:50 p.m. (EST) noon.

Scientists had discovered another asteroid in February-2023. DW. This Asteroid Has a Huge Risk of Potentially Impacting Earth Future, The asteroid was first spotted on February 26, according to the European Space Agency, which added the rock to its risk list and ranked it No. The European Space Agency predicts that a 2023 DW asteroid has a 1 in 607 chance. Further estimates of impacting Earth suggest that the collision could occur as early as Valentine’s Day 2046.