A huge 2000-foot-long asteroid 2014 JO25 will cruise by Earth today at a distance of about 1.1 million miles, according to NASA.
Asteroid 2014 JO25 was discovered by astronomers in 2014. NASA says the distance between 2014 JO25 and the Earth today will be shortest in the past 400 years. This distance will be about 4.6 times the Earth’s distance from moon. The next closest approach of 2014 JO25 will happen after 500 years. The asteroid will approach the Earth from the direction of the Sun, and it will be ‘closest approach’ for such a big-size asteroid since 2004. The next close encounter with such a huge asteroid will happen in 2027. At that time, 1999 AN10 asteroid (800-meter-wide) will cruise by Earth at one lunar distance. The brightness of this asteroid will be maximum on April 19, after which it will fade quickly. Amateur astronomers may have a glimpse of 2014 JO25 in the night sky, although it will be somewhat difficult to spot.
“Although there is no possibility for the asteroid to collide with our planet, this will be a very close approach for an asteroid of this size”, NASA was quoted as saying.
According to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 2014 JO25 is about 2,000 feet wide and is a pretty large chunk of rock.
The agency also believes that it will be an outstanding opportunity to study this asteroid on April 19. Astronomers all around the world would observe it with telescopes. NASA’s Goldstone Solar System Radar in California and the National Science Foundation’s Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico will study the asteroid with radar observations. The images captured would help astronomers have surface details as small as a few meters.
Interestingly on April 19th, Comet PanSTARSS (C/2015 ER61)—discovered in 2015—will also be nearest to Earth (109 million miles away).
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