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Yesterday, a 100 foot-wide asteroid flew by Earth slightly closer than the moon at 217,000 miles away. It turns out it wasn’t alone, though, and an asteroid about the size of a bus will hurtle by today. It might be much smaller, but today’s asteroid, 2014 EC, will be 1/6 of that distance at only 34,000 miles away. The universe’s aim is improving.
According to NASA, an asteroid flies closer to Earth than the moon about 20 times each year. That has no doubt been happening for your whole life … and for billions of years into the past. Yes, sometimes they do strike, but the one today will not.
Amateur astronomers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa might spot today’s asteroid with their telescopes. It will be shining at around magnitude 13.5-14.0 for a couple of hours centered on closest approach, moving through the constellations Hydra, Antlia and Vela.
You’ll need at least an 8-inch telescope to spot asteroid 2014 EC, using your eyes.
Bottom line: An asteroid will fly within the Earth-moon system on Thursday, March 6, 2014. This is the second asteroid pass in two days. This asteroid, 2014 EC, will pass within 48,000 miles. NASA says we get about 20 such passes each year.
The asteroid flyby will occur on March 6 at around 2100 UTC (4 p.m. EST).
You can watch online via the Virtual Telescope Project. Also, check out Slooh.
Agencies/Canadajournal
