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The asteroid is orbiting the Sun on a path that will take it within a “close” but safe distance to Earth on April 29. Officially named Asteroid (52768) 1998 OR2, the space rock is up to 2.5 miles (4.1 km) across. According to astrophysicist Gianluca Masi, from the Virtual Telescope Project in Italy, the asteroid will already be visible tonight (April 28) through small telescopes.
The asteroid will reflect enough sunlight for telescopes, but will not be observable to the naked eye.
Dr. Masi will track the asteroid later tonight and share his insights live on the Internet.
He said: “On April 29, 2020, the Potentially Dangerous Asteroid (52768) 1998 OR2 will have a close, but safe, encounter with us, reaching some 6.3 million kilometers from Earth.
“The Virtual Telescope Project will show you live online – join from home.”
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Estimates from the US space agency NASA show that OR2 measurements somewhere between 0.9 miles and 2.54 miles (1.5 km and 4.1 km) in diameter.
Other observations from the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico have reduced the asteroid to just 1.2 miles (2 km) across.
The rock will fly past Earth in a path that is officially marked as a “close-to-Earth approach.”
However, NASA said: “While orbiting the Sun, NEOs may occasionally approach close to Earth.
“Keep in mind that an astronomically” close “passage may be far in human terms: millions or even tens of millions of kilometers.
How to see the asteroid flyby tonight
You can watch the exciting event live on YouTube, courtesy of the Virtual Telescope Project.
How often do asteroids hit our planet?
Although the asteroid OR2 does not pose a threat to Earth, its flyby is a reminder of the potential dangers lurking in deep space.
NASA astronomers believe that any impactor over 0.6 miles (1 km) in diameter is large enough to cause “global scale” damage.
But these cataclysmic events are very rare and only occur on a scale every few million years.
Currently, NASA does not know of any asteroids or comets destined to hit our planet.
The real risk comes from smaller space rocks, so-called near-Earth objects, which are numerous and often pass through Earth.
In 2013, a 65.6-foot-wide (20 m) rock exploded in the skies above Russia’s Chelyabinsk Oblast, injuring more than 1,000 people with broken glass fragments.
Every day, about 100 tons of space dust and particles the size of a grain of sand are thrown into the atmosphere.
About once a year, a car-sized asteroid crashes into the planet only to create a glowing fireball before burning.
NASA said: “Every 2,000 years or so, a soccer field-sized meteoroid hits Earth and causes significant damage to the area.”
