Huge Asteroid To Pass By Earth On Monday

http://www.iflscience.com/space/asteroid-close-approach-be-visible-small-telescope

“On January 26/27, the asteroid 2004 BL86 will sweep past the Earth at a distance of 1.2 million kilometers, three times the distance of the moon. Closer asteroid approaches are common, but this one is gaining attention because of the size and brightness of the object involved.

The website Lunar Meteorite Hunters lists 41 close asteroid approaches in January alone. However, some are as small as 24 meters across. The larger representatives, such as the 1.1 kilometer 2062 Aten, will pass at least ten lunar distances (LD) away; 73 in Aten’s case.

What makes 2004 BL86 (also known as 357439) stand out is the combination of closeness and size. With a length somewhere between 400 and 900 meters, its passage at 3.1LD will be the closest approach of anything this size until 2027, unless an undetected object is waiting to give us a scare.”

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http://www.iflscience.com/space/asteroid-close-approach-be-visible-small-telescope