The Associated Press reported that a “city-killer” asteroid, known as 2023 DZ2, is set to pass between Earth and the Moon’s orbit on Saturday. Discovered merely three weeks ago, the asteroid’s 17,000 mph flyby of Earth will be observable through telescopes or accessible via a live stream.
023 DZ2 is an Apollo-class asteroid measuring approximately 140-310 feet in diameter. This classification signifies that its orbit intersects Earth’s orbit around the Sun. Apollo asteroids are also classified as “near-Earth objects” because they can be “potentially hazardous.” The good news is the asteroid will pass Earth by about 110,000 miles, about half the distance to the Moon.
The Virtual Telescope Project will provide a live stream Saturday evening around 7:30 pm EST for the flyby.
Anyone with a six-inch telescope in the Northern Hemisphere might be able to observe the asteroid as it passes by Earth.
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