Known formally as ‘Asteroid 2012 DA14’, a massive piece of rock will pass perilously close to Earth on Friday. The 150 foot wide asteroid is similar in size to one that devastated Siberia in the early 20th century.
At its closest to the Earth, asteroid 2012 DA14 will be within 17,200 miles of Earth. That is much closer than the orbit of the moon (239,000 miles) and in fact will pass between Earth and many of our crucial communication satellites.
More than 100 geostationary satellites are perched in orbit at 22,000 miles. While there is no danger of 2012 DA14 hitting the Earth, there is a very remote chance it could collide with one of these manmade satellites.
NASA says that the rock is will be speeding by at 17,400 miles per hour. 2012 DA14 will be at its closest point to earth on Friday, February 15 at approximately 12:24 p.m. MST.
The daytime pass for those in North America will preclude viewing here. However those in Indonesia, Eastern Europe, Australia and Asia should be able to view it with a small telescope.
At 150 feet across, 2012 DA14 is similar in size to an asteroid that exploded over Siberia in 1908 – the “Tunguska Event.” That object created a blast estimated at 1,000 times more powerful that the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima and flatted trees across an 800 square mile area.
Asteroids this size can cause extensive regional damage but are nowhere near the scale of the 5-mile-wide one that is thought responsible for wiping out the dinosaurs.
- Watch: NASA video explaining asteroid 2012 DA14 below the inforgraphic
Source SPACE.com: All about our solar system, outer space and exploration