Asteroid the Size of a Football Stadium to Safely Pass Earth on Friday: How to Watch Live
On Friday, an asteroid the size of a football stadium will make a close pass by Earth, providing a thrilling celestial event for space enthusiasts. Dubbed the “City Killer,” this massive space rock will travel at a staggering speed of 41,000 mph. Although it will come within a distance of 1.77 million miles from our planet, which is over seven times farther than the moon, it won’t be visible to the naked eye. However, you can still witness this extraordinary event live on YouTube.
The discovery of this “city killer” asteroid was made by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It is set to reach its closest approach to Earth on February 2, 2024. To put its distance into perspective, the moon is approximately 239,000 miles away from Earth, making this asteroid 7.4 times farther than our lunar neighbor. With a diameter of around 890 feet, equivalent to the size of an entire US football stadium, this space rock has earned its ominous nickname due to its destructive potential if it were to collide with an inhabited area on Earth.
Despite its colossal size, the asteroid will be too faint and distant to be seen without a telescope. Gianluca Masi, an astrophysicist and the scientific director of The Virtual Telescope Project, explained that it will be about 10,000 times fainter than the faintest stars visible to the naked eye. However, there is still an opportunity to catch a glimpse of this celestial visitor. Masi and his colleagues at The Virtual Telescope Project will be live-streaming the event on YouTube starting at 1 p.m. ET on Friday. The livestream will last approximately 45 minutes and allow viewers to observe Asteroid 2008 OS7 as it moves past other fixed dots in the background, representing stars.
Asteroid 2008 OS7 follows an oval-shaped orbit around the sun, completing its journey every 962 days. After its encounter with Earth, it will continue its path through our solar system. The oblong shape of its orbit means that each time it approaches Earth, the distance between the asteroid and our planet varies significantly. For instance, during its next closest approach in July 2037, it will be approximately 9.7 million miles away from Earth, nearly 5.5 times farther than during this Friday’s encounter.
This particular asteroid falls into the category of “potentially hazardous” asteroids, as defined by NASA. To receive this classification, an asteroid must have a diameter of at least 460 feet and orbit within a distance of about 4.65 million miles from Earth. Currently, there are over 34,000 near-Earth objects identified, with just over 2,300 designated as potentially hazardous. However, scientists believe that there are many more yet to be discovered. In the event of a giant asteroid on a collision course with Earth, a warning period of 5-10 years would be necessary to develop strategies to destroy or deflect it.
To enhance our ability to detect and monitor near-Earth objects, NASA JPL is working on the Near-Earth Object Surveyor mission. This mission aims to launch an infrared space telescope into Earth’s orbit in September 2027. By expanding NASA’s search for potentially threatening near-Earth objects, this mission will contribute to our understanding and preparedness for potential asteroid impacts.
While the “City Killer” asteroid won’t pose any immediate danger to Earth during its pass on Friday, it serves as a reminder of the ongoing efforts by scientists and researchers to safeguard our planet from potential cosmic threats. So, mark your calendars and tune in to the live-streamed event to witness this awe-inspiring celestial spectacle.