Stadium-sized asteroid approaching Earth May 9, how to see in Texas
Known as the main belt asteroid 612356 2002 JX8 is not expected to post a threat to Earth during the 2025 flyby, according to NASA.
Scientists at the Center for Near Earth Object Studies who track the long-term potential orbits of near-Earth objects have said it is unlikely that a large asteroid capable of causing widespread damage will strike Earth in the next 100 years.
With that being said, the Virtual Telescope Project's YouTube channel will go live at 2:30 p.m. MT (4:30 p.m. ET), just a few hours before 2002 JX8 makes its closest approach to Earth at (11:02 GMT).
The stream will also show views of the asteroid Vesta, which reached opposition on May 2, and is still relatively bright in the night sky.
The asteroid is expected to safely come as close as 4.2 million kilometers or 2.6 million miles, according to Gianluca Masi, the founder of The Virtual Telescope Project.
Masi's organization has successfully captured several images of 2002 JX8 in the run up to its Friday, May 9, flyby, in which the asteroid appears as a distinct dot of light that could be seen shifting position relative to the stars behind it.
The Virtual Telescope Project offers free online observing sessions for the public for asteroid flybys and similar events, as well as access to individual robotic telescopes.
Potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs) such as 2002 JX8 are categorized as such based on their brightness (magnitude +22.0 or lower/brighter) and their ability to perform a "threatening close approach to Earth," according to NASA, which is defined as coming within 0.05 astronomical units, or 4.6 million miles (7.5 million km) of our planet. For reference, 1 AU is the equivalent of 93 million miles (150 million km), the average distance separating Earth and the sun.
More: What time is the ETA Aquarids? Here's when to see meteor shower in Texas
Source: www.space.com
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Watch stadium-sized asteroid approach Earth live today on YouTube
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