Another asteroid will approach Earth this week

Asteroid 2023 DZ2 will approach Earth soon, and it will be about 168,000 km from our planet on Saturday (25). The pass wouldn’t pose any dangers, but it would be a great opportunity for astronomers to study this space rock.

Discovered in February 2023 and announced in March, the asteroid appears to be between 40 and 90 meters in diameter. It will be 515,000 km from the moon on Saturday, and at 4:52 pm Brasilia time, it will reach its closest point to Earth, where it will travel at a speed of 28,000 km / h.

Members of the Virtual Telescope Project took a picture of the asteroid when it was about 1.8 million kilometers from our planet. paying off:

During the closest approach, it will be closer to our planet than the Moon, which has an average distance of 384,400 km. When there are a few hours left to reach the point of closest approach, the space rock can be observed with the help of telescopes or binoculars.

It is common for asteroids to approach Earth, and most of those that pass near our planet are small. After this visit, asteroid 2023 DZ2 will return to Earth’s circumference only in 2026.

If you are concerned about a possible collision, you can rest assured, as this asteroid will pass Earth at a very safe distance. “There’s no chance of this ‘city killer’ hitting Earth, but the close approach provides a good spotting opportunity,” added Richard Moisel, ESA’s director of planetary defense.

How to see asteroid 2023 DZ2

You will be able to follow the asteroid’s passage with members of the Virtual Telescope project, who will carry out a live broadcast of the images captured after the closest approach.

The broadcast will take place on Saturday (25th) from 8:30 pm Brasilia time. You can check it out by going to Virtual telescope site.

source: phys.org