Dig out the binoculars: asteroid to make record-close brush with earth today
Asteroid 2012 DA14 will make a record close approach to Earth today and it may be visible through a pair of strong binoculars.
By Nick Collins, Science Correspondent
6:31AM GMT 15 Feb 2013
Despite coming so close to Earth that it will pass lower than some communications satellites, the 150ft (45m) rock will not be near enough to become visible in the evening sky, experts said.
A good pair of binoculars would be strong enough to pick out the cosmic visitor as a bright speck travelling in a northward direction at 7.30pm. However, most people have been advised to watch events unfold live on the internet.
The best viewing will be in Australia, Asia and Eastern Europe, and although the asteroid will become visible through telescopes in Britain and Asia, astronomers said it would be hard for anyone without expertise to locate.
Members of the public who want to witness the asteroid were advised to contact their local astronomical society, or watch footage beamed from observatories in Australia online.
Dr Robert Massey of the Royal Astronomical Society said: "Most people are going to struggle to see it. If you know your way around the sky you could do it with a pair of binoculars but it is not bright enough to see without them.
"It is a very interesting event but it is not the sort of thing the public can just dip into."
The asteroid will come closer than any other of its size on record, whizzing within the orbit of our most distant communications satellites at about 7pm at a speed of 17,400 miles per hour (7.8km per second).
At its nearest point, at approximately 7.25pm, it will reach just 17,150 miles (27,600km) over Indonesia before shooting away, passing our satellites again by 8pm.
Astronomers have admitted there is a chance that 2012 DA14 could collide with one of these satellites as it passes by, but said this was extremely unlikely.
The close pass of the asteroid poses no threat to Earth, but will give scientists the opportunity to study it up close and learn more about its composition and orbit.
The asteroid was discovered in February 2012 by Spanish astronomers shortly after passing by Earth on its last orbit.
Although smaller asteroids have come closer than Friday's approach, objects the size of 2012 DA14 are only expected to make such narrow passes about once every 40 years.
