Thursday, March 6, 2014

WATCH LIVE NOW: Close-Shave Asteroid 2014 EC Flies Within 38,000 Miles of Earth


The 33-foot-wide (10 meters) near-Earth asteroid 2014 EC will come within 38,000 miles (62,000 kilometers) of Earth's surface this afternoon (March 6) — just 16 percent of the distance between our planet and the moon, which is about 239,000 miles (385,000 km) on average. You can see a video of asteroid 2014 EC's orbit arount the sun here. The Virtual Telescope Project will attempt to stream live views of the asteroid today at 2:00 p.m. ET. You can watch it live in the window below. Full Story: Bus-Size Asteroid Gives Earth Super-Close Shave Today, Second in 2 Days

2014 EC, which was discovered just Tuesday (March 4), is about half as wide as the asteroid that exploded over Russia in February 2013, injuring about 1,500 people. There is no danger that 2014 EC will hit Earth on this pass, researchers stress; the chances that it will ever strike the planet are currently estimated at 1 in 2.7 million.
Asteroid 2014 DX110 flyby of Earth: March 5 
Virtual Telescope Project has captured this first video of asteroid 2014 DX110 here. We will post a wrap story later today with new images of the asteroid shortly.

At 4 p.m. EST (2100 GMT), the Slooh online observatory will webcast its own coverage of asteroid 2014 DX110 using the company's remote-controlled telescopes. Slooh's Paul Cox will host the observing event.
From NASA: "This asteroid, 2014 DX110, is estimated to be about 100 feet (30 meters) across. Its closest approach to Earth will be at about 217,000 miles (about 350,000 kilometers) from Earth at about 1 p.m. PST (4 p.m. EST) [2100 GMT] on March 5. The average distance between Earth and its moon is about 239,000 miles (385,000 kilometers)."
The asteroid 2014 DX110 will zip by Earth at 4 p.m. EST (2100 GMT) today, just days after its discovery on Feb. 28. NASA officials say it poses no threat to the Earth.

The first asteroid 2014 DX110 webcast at 3:30 p.m. EST comes courtesy of the Virtual Telescope Project overseen by astrophysicist Gianluca Masi in Ceccano, Italy. The webcast will cover the incoming asteroid's approach and closest flyby to Earth during today's space rock encounter. You can follow Masi's webcast directly at the Virtual Telescope Project website here.



Source: Space.com

No comments:

Post a Comment