NASA scientists have warned stargazers that a massive asteroid (2004 BL86) will pass over the skies of Europe and North America on Monday. Scientists say it will be the largest space rock to fly by our planet since 2027.
Most asteroids that pass by us are small, between 50 and 100 meters wide. This latest visitor, asteroid 2004 BL86, will be half a kilometer across, a size that would be very damaging if it hit Earth.
Fortunately, there is no danger. The closest it will pass will be 1,200,000 kilometers away, or about three times the distance between our planet and the Moon.
“On Monday, January 26, asteroid 2004 BL86 will pass by Earth . It will be the closest asteroid to pass by Earth in the next 200 years,” said Don Yeomans, director of NASA’s Near Earth Object Program Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “While it is not a threat to Earth, it is a relatively close approach from a relatively large asteroid. So we will have a unique opportunity to observe and learn more.”
The asteroid will be at its brightest at 3 p.m. Tuesday over the skies of Europe and North America. It won't be visible to the naked eye, and you'll need a three- or four-inch telescope to see it.
So be careful of the exaggerated stories that will be circulating in the coming days, from both authoritative and non-authoritative blogs. The sky will not fall and crush us.
