Enormous, mountain-size asteroid will be visible from Earth this weekend in rare 'once in a decade' event

Live Science ^ | 01/10/2025 | By Brandon Specktor

[BenLurkin]

This weekend, the mountain-size space rock will peak in brightness in a rare once-in-a-decade event that you can observe from home with basic stargazing binoculars — or in a free livestream.

Named (887) Alinda, the near-Earth asteroid measures an estimated 2.6 miles (4.2 kilometers) wide — roughly the width of Manhattan — according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. On Wednesday (Jan. 8), the chunky space rock made its closest approach to Earth in decades, swooping to within 7.6 million miles (12.3 million km) of our planet, or about 32 times the average distance between Earth and the moon. Alinda isn't predicted to make another close approach to Earth until 2087.

The asteroid will be visible moving through the constellation Gemini, which appears in the Northern Hemisphere just after dark and remains visible all night long, according to skywatching reporter Jamie Carter.

If you don't have the gear, don't fret; Masi and the Virtual Telescope Project are hosting a free livestream of asteroid Alinda's bright flyby on Jan. 12 at 12:30 p.m. EST.

[dfwgator]

Paging Bruce Willis.

[Olog-hai]

This weekend, the mountain-size space rock will peak in brightness …

Aw, how cute, Brandon.

[BipolarBob]

Headed for LA area?

[BobL]

“swooping to within 7.6 million miles (12.3 million km) of our planet, or about 32 times the average distance between Earth and the moon.”

32 times the average distance between the Earth and the moon is well on its to being closer to the Sun than Earth.

[wildcard_redneck]

This sounds like a wasted opportunity to me when NASA sends probes all the way out to the asteroid belt to look at these things. Why wasn’t NASA sending a probe to investigate this meteorite when it’s so dang close?

It must’ve been all that islamofascist Muslim outreach.

[gundog]

The sun is ~93 million miles from Earth.

[telescope115]

A busy few days, astronomically speaking, with the Moon occulting Mars Monday nite! It should be easy to see for just about anyone, with clear skies.

[bobcat62]

Send the asteroid to DC.

[Strict9]

I think the heavyset lesbians in charge of NASA have things other than space exploration on their minds

[PIF]

But if it hit the Earth, human civilization would be fundamentally transformed ... for centuries.

[Organic Panic]

Relativity. Too many gravitational pulls to do this so close to planets.

[faucetman]

Reminds me of the one I saw many years ago. Driving west on US 90 toward Rochester, NY to go fishing.

A YUGE round fireball passed across the sky from North to South for a couple of minutes, very slow. At first we (3 of us) thought it could be an airplane on fire. Because your mind goes to what you know or have experienced. It was traveling more southwest and we were going due west, so it did get smaller in appearance as it passed. It did not appear to lose altitude.

We soon realized that it was an asteroid. Of course with no reference point it was impossible to know just how big it was, but being on fire it must be passing through our atmosphere. To imagine it, picture in your mind someone passing a basketball across the road in front of you 50 feet away, that BIG.

There was zero reporting that I ever saw on the news.

[reg45]

Oh no! It would destroy The Smithsonian.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks BenLurkin.

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[SunkenCiv]

It’s less than one tenth that distance.

[unlearner]

Is the soy boy stereotype now confirmed by science?

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

It depends on how long you have to plan a mission and the orbital dynamics of the target. Also, you should consider the scientific value of the target, what information can be gleaned by sending a mission. Virtually every NASA flight requires years of planning. It is not a “quick reaction” launch organization and isn’t meant to be.

[cockroach_magoo]

"rare once-in-a-decade event"

According to leftist logic, once-in-a-decade events must have been caused by climate change.

[BobL]

“It’s less than one tenth that distance.”

Duh! I got that one backwards. Thanks Civ.