when and how to observe it

​ Asteroid 2020 XR photographed on December⁤ 2, 2024.⁢ Credit:‍ Gianluca Masi, Virtual Telescope Project

There are only a few hours left until the ​close encounter with the asteroid 2020 XR classified as “perhaps hazardous” that at 6:27 ⁢Italians tomorrow‌ Wednesday December 4, 2024 it will reach its closest approach to Earth long ‌ago 2.2‌ million kmequal to 5.7 times the average distance between the Earth and the Moon.

How ⁢and⁤ when⁢ to view ⁢Asteroid 2020⁣ XR ⁤in live streaming

Asteroid flyby 2020‌ XR will be visible from our ‌skies, but regrettably not to ‌the naked eye: the celestial body is far too small and far too far from ‌us to see with ⁤our eyes. Fortunately, however, we ‌will be able to look at the asteroid ⁣i live streaming thanks to virtual telescope Projectthe ⁢project founded by the‍ Italian astronomer Gianluca Massi to look at the sky using a robotic telescope. The live broadcast is accessible from 19:30 today on the Virtual Telescope ProjectS official YouTube ⁤channel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMjP-E6Emlg

What is a “potentially hazardous asteroid” and why the encounter with⁢ 2020 XR is safe

Given ‌the large distance involved, the meeting will be⁣ completely safe ​and there​ will be ‍no danger of ⁣collision with our planet. From⁤ a technical ​point of view, the definition of ​ “potentially dangerous asteroid” Those celestial bodies refer to more than⁤ 140 meters ⁢ (so enough to cause serious damage in the event of an impact) whose orbits are capable of taking them ⁤to ‍less than 19.5 ‍times the Earth-Moon distance.They are‍ things like that possible capable of ⁣causing damage, but not necessarily ⁤a⁤ danger in ⁢the short term.

‌ The current position of 2020 XR relative to⁣ Earth’s orbit (in blue). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

You may also like

Leave a Comment