Asteroid to Fly Safely Past Earth on April 19 (Asteroid 2014 JO25, Diameter = 2,000 feet)

NASA ^ | 4/6/17

[LibWhacker]

A relatively large near-Earth asteroid discovered nearly three years ago will fly safely past Earth on April 19 at a distance of about 1.1 million miles (1.8 million kilometers), or about 4.6 times the distance from Earth to the moon. Although there is no possibility for the asteroid to collide with our planet, this will be a very close approach for an asteroid of this size.

The asteroid, known as 2014 JO25, was discovered in May 2014 by astronomers at the Catalina Sky Survey near Tucson, Arizona -- a project of NASA's NEO Observations Program in collaboration with the University of Arizona. (An NEO is a near-Earth object). Contemporary measurements by NASA's NEOWISE mission indicate that the asteroid is roughly 2,000 feet (650 meters) in size, and that its surface is about twice as reflective as that of the moon. At this time very little else is known about the object's physical properties, even though its trajectory is well known.

The asteroid will approach Earth from the direction of the sun and will become visible in the night sky after April 19. It is predicted to brighten to about magnitude 11, when it could be visible in small optical telescopes for one or two nights before it fades as the distance from Earth rapidly increases.

Small asteroids pass within this distance of Earth several times each week, but this upcoming close approach is the closest by any known asteroid of this size, or larger, since asteroid Toutatis , a 3.1-mile (five-kilometer) asteroid, which approached within about four lunar distances in September 2004. The next known encounter of an asteroid of comparable size will occur in 2027 when the half-mile-wide (800-meter-wide) asteroid 1999 AN10 will fly by at one lunar distance, about 236,000 miles (380,000 kilometers).

The April 19 encounter provides an outstanding opportunity to study this asteroid, and astronomers plan to observe it with telescopes around the world to learn as much about it as possible. Radar observations are planned at NASA's Goldstone Solar System Radar in California and the National Science Foundation's Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, and the resulting radar images could reveal surface details as small as a few meters.

The encounter on April 19 is the closest this asteroid has come to Earth for at least the last 400 years and will be its closest approach for at least the next 500 years.

Also on April 19, the comet PanSTARRS (C/2015 ER61) will make its closest approach to Earth, at a very safe distance of 109 million miles (175 million kilometers). A faint fuzzball in the sky when it was discovered in 2015 by the Pan-STARRS NEO survey team using a telescope on the summit of Haleakala, Hawaii, the comet has brightened considerably due to a recent outburst and is now visible in the dawn sky with binoculars or a small telescope.

JPL manages and operates NASA's Deep Space Network, including the Goldstone Solar System Radar, and hosts the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies for NASA's Near-Earth Object Observations Program, an element of the Planetary Defense Coordination Office within the agency's Science Mission Directorate.

More information about asteroids and near-Earth objects can be found at:

http://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroidwatch

For more information about NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/planetarydefense

For asteroid and comet news and updates, follow AsteroidWatch on Twitter:

twitter.com/AsteroidWatch

[Mad Dawgg]

My sky seems to be getting awfully crowded lately... I hope Trump has Harry Stamper on speed dial.

[Nailbiter]

Even if was not going to pass by earth- do you think anything would be published?

[Mad Dawgg]

"Even if was not going to pass by earth- do you think anything would be published?"

If it was 20 years ago you would not know until the shadow of the beastie was darkening our skyies. However in the world we live in now with Facebook and Twitter and Youtube and Wikileaks the shelf life of that secret would be measured in milliseconds. Someone on the inside would inform their wife or parents or kids and Social Media would have it around the world within minutes.

[Nailbiter]

I was thinking of the panic to would ensue- forgot about social media

[BlueDragon]

A relatively large near-Earth asteroid discovered nearly three years ago will fly safely past Earth on April 19

We can all be glad the asteroid will be safe. They can encounter dangers, out there...

Call your Representatives. Make sure they vote yes on the Congressional Asteroid Safety Act (CASA).

Let asteroids know we mean them no harm, and that we are in fact concerned for their safety. (maybe they'll leave us alone, and not try to immigrate to 'Merica)

[Darksheare]

Can’t wait for the bpearthwatch/terral03 idiots to say it is nibiru, will kill us all, etc.