A colossal asteroid, measuring over two miles in diameter, has recently approached Earth at its closest point in decades – but the display is not over yet.
This asteroid, referred to as (887) Alinda, will hit its maximum brightness this weekend in a rare astronomical event observable with simple binoculars or through a complimentary livestream.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory approximates Alinda’s width to be about 2.6 miles, similar in breadth to Manhattan. On January 8, it came to within 7.6 million miles of Earth, which is approximately 32 times the average distance between Earth and the Moon. The next instance it will come this close again will be in 2087.
Although an asteroid this size could inflict devastating destruction if it were to strike the Earth, Alinda poses no danger. Rather, its size renders it an appealing target for hobbyist astronomers.
This Sunday, the asteroid will attain a peak brightness of magnitude 9.4, which is too dim to be seen by the unaided eye but observable through entry-level binoculars or a small telescope in your backyard, according to Gianluca Masi, an astronomer with the Virtual Telescope Project.
Alinda will be visible in the constellation Gemini, which is discernible in the Northern Hemisphere shortly after sunset and remains visible throughout the night, said skywatching expert Jamie Carter.
The Virtual Telescope Project will also be broadcasting a complimentary livestream of Alinda’s flyby at 12:30 pm EST on its official YouTube channel.
Occurrences of this magnitude are rare. According to Mr. Masi, only a small number of asteroids this size will pass within 15 million kilometers (9.3 million miles) of Earth by the year 2200.
NASA has confirmed that neither Alinda nor any other known asteroid presents a risk to Earth for at least the next hundred years.