A huge asteroid will sweep by Earth
on September 1st. “Florence”
is the largest object on record to come this close since NASA began tracking
these types of near-Earth asteroids.
The space rock measures 2.7 miles across
and will pass by Earth at a distance of 4.4 million miles. This is
called a “safe close shave”.
As this asteroid flies by,
astronomers will capture radar images to learn more about its exact size
and detailed surface features.
You can view this event through
telescopes now as Florence begins to brighten in the night sky and streak
through the constellations Piscis Austrinus, Capricornus, Aquarius and
Delphinus.
The flyby this Friday is the
asteroid's closest approach since 1890 and it won't get this close to Earth
again until after 2500.
Kaye Manro
info and trajectory graphic
from space.com
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