An asteroid three times the size of the one that blew out windows in Chelyabinsk, Russia in 2013 will zip by Earth at half the distance of the moon on Saturday (March 25).
Fortunately, the asteroid, known as 2023 DZ2, will make a clean pass by our planet, speeding by at 17,426 mph (28,044 km/h), according to EarthSky(opens in new tab). Skywatchers with 6-inch (15 centimeters) telescopes or larger have an opportunity to see the space rock on Friday evening (March 24) from the Northern Hemisphere. The Virtual Telescope Project(opens in new tab) will also show a livestream of the asteroid at 7:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday (23:30 UTC).
Observed through a telescope from the Northern Hemisphere, the asteroid will look like a slow-moving star over the southeastern horizon, east of the constellations of Orion, Canis Major and Canis Minor, according to EarthSky. Its closest approach will be at 3:52 EDT (19:52 UTC) on March 25.
more ta livescience.com
