A newly discovered, 200-foot asteroid will come super close to our planet on Saturday, March 25. Called 2023 DZ2, the space rock is expected to safely pass by Earth at less than half the distance of the moon, according to Earth Sky. Its closest approach is set to occur at around 2:51 pm CT (1.21 am IST). The asteroid was first detected by astronomers at the observatory of La Palma in the Canary Islands, Spain, in late February. 2023 DZ2 is classified as a NEO (Near Earth Object). It orbits the sun every 3.16 years. As it crosses Earth’s orbit, the asteroid is known as an Apollo-class asteroid. It is estimated to be between 44 and 99 metres in diameter.
“A newly discovered #asteroid named 2023 DZ2 will safely pass by Earth on Saturday at 100K+ miles away. While close approaches are a regular occurrence, one by an asteroid of this size (140-310 ft) happens only about once per decade, providing a unique opportunity for science,” said NASA Asteroid Watch in a tweet.
What makes this different
“While close approaches are a regular occurrence, one by an asteroid of this size (140-310 ft) happens only about once per decade, providing a unique opportunity for science,” said NASA Asteroid Watch in another tweet. If the asteroid were to smash into Earth, it would potentially cause major damage. However, it is likely to make a clean pass speeding by at 28,044 km/h, according to EarthSky.
“A newly discovered #asteroid named 2023 DZ2 will safely pass by Earth on Saturday at 100K+ miles away. While close approaches are a regular occurrence, one by an asteroid of this size (140-310 ft) happens only about once per decade, providing a unique opportunity for science,” said NASA Asteroid Watch in a tweet.
What makes this different
“While close approaches are a regular occurrence, one by an asteroid of this size (140-310 ft) happens only about once per decade, providing a unique opportunity for science,” said NASA Asteroid Watch in another tweet. If the asteroid were to smash into Earth, it would potentially cause major damage. However, it is likely to make a clean pass speeding by at 28,044 km/h, according to EarthSky.
How to watch the asteroid live
Skywatchers in the Northern Hemisphere might get a glimpse of the asteroid as it speeds past Earth. Those wanting to observe the asteroid 2023 DZ2 can view it best using six-inch or larger telescopes from the Northern Hemisphere. According to Per Earth Sky, it should appear as a “slow-moving star” passing in front of the fixed stars in the sky above the southeastern horizon, east of the constellations Orion, Canis Major and Canis Minor. The Virtual Telescope Project is also hosting a live stream of the asteroid at 6:30 pm CT on March 25 (5 am IST).
