This Friday , May 27 , asteroid 7335 ( 1989 JA ) – the largest asteroid of the year , accord to NASA – is fix to fell past Earth . This stony infinite rock is big enough to be considered a continent killer . Or to put it inanimal termswe can all translate , roughly the size of it of 405 - 782 adult female Komodo dragons ( terminate to death ) widely .
The size of an asteroid is estimated from its albedo ( how much light it reflects ) , measuring its brightness and the reflective belongings of its surface , which is why estimates can variegate . The European Space Agency has an estimation of932 beat ( 0.57 miles)for 1989 JA , while NASA ’s Center for Near - Earth object says1.8 klick ( 1 . 1 mi ) .
What they both gibe on , however , is the asteroid is on the listing of potentially hazardous near - Earth objects give that it ’s faithful to our satellite , is jolly big , and is prompt 20 sentence immobile than a speeding heater . But we do n’t need to vex about it this week , as it will pass us by over 4 million kilometers ( 2.5 million naut mi ) , or 10 times the length from us to the Moon .
The asteroid , which is go at 76,000 klick / h ( 47,200 mph ) , has been seeable with a good telescope from both hemispheres , but its closest passage on May 27 will favor the southerly sky .
Some masses have already been chase after it . Telescope troupe Unistellar is run a citizen scientific discipline campaign calledPlanetary Defenseand has had people with their telescopes track the asteroid as it moves nigher and closer to our planet .
They have so far collected 40 notice from 24 multitude from New Zealand , the US , Canada , France , Austria , and Italy . More observation are take stead in Australia , the Netherlands , and other European body politic as the asteroid progress to its airless point to Earth . They trust they ’ll be able to work out how tight the asteroid is rotate found on these observance .
" It ’s been really exciting to work with scientists and other hobbyists like myself from all over the world to aid protect our major planet , further our understanding of exoplanets , and more , " citizen scientist Ethan Teng , who is part of Unistellar ’s Planetary Defense campaign , told IFLScience .
If you do n’t have a telescope or the conditions near you does n’t allow you to check it out for yourself ( * tremble fist at British conditions * ) , concern not . The squad at theVirtual Telescope Projectand Telescope Live have baffle you deal with two live watercourse showing the asteroid fell by us on May 26 at 7 pm ET and on May 27 at 9 am ET .
