{"id":781063,"date":"2024-04-18T22:19:51","date_gmt":"2024-04-19T03:19:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=781063"},"modified":"2024-04-18T22:19:51","modified_gmt":"2024-04-19T03:19:51","slug":"large-asteroid-safely-passed-earth-see-pic-here","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=781063","title":{"rendered":"Large asteroid safely passed Earth: See pic here!"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Here\u2019s the image of the large asteroid \u2013 2013 NK4 \u2013 that safely passed Earth on Monday, April 15, 2024. The Goldstone Radar in California acquired this image on April 13. Image via NASA\/JPL-Caltech.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Update! Image of asteroid 2013 NK4<\/h3>\n

NASA astronomers were able to obtain radar images of the large asteroid that passed Earth safely on Monday, April 15, 2024. They captured an image of the asteroid \u2013 named 2013 NK4 \u2013 using the Goldstone Radar in California on April 13. NASA said:<\/p>\n

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Radar narrow echoes probably establish that 2013 NK4 rotates very slowly, and the shape is bifurcated.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

These observations suggest asteroid 2013 NK4 is probably a binary contact. That means it\u2019s composed of two bodies or asteroids that have gravitated toward each other until they touch, resulting in this elongated shape. If a two-lobed asteroid sounds familiar to you, that\u2019s because we\u2019ve seen space rocks like this before. For example, there\u2019s 4769 Castalia, discovered in 1989. It\u2019s even larger at 1.4 kilometers (0.87 miles) in diameter and is also classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid. And another example is Arrokoth, visited by the New Horizons mission. Arrokoth looks a bit like a snowman and lies out in the Kuiper Belt.<\/p>\n

Large asteroid is bigger than Apophis<\/h3>\n

Asteroid 2013 NK4 has a diameter of about 2,000 feet (610 meters). That makes it about twice as large as Apophis, the so-called doomsday asteroid that will pass closer than Earth\u2019s artificial satellites in 2029. But 2013 NK4 passed us at a much greater distance. It was more than eight times the moon\u2019s distance at its nearest to us. What\u2019s so amazing about it? People with telescopes will be able to watch it fly by Earth!<\/p>\n

Closest approach for asteroid 2013 NK4 happened on Monday, April 15, 2024, at 14:51 UTC. But, due to its location in the sky, it\u2019ll be easier to see through a telescope on the nights of April 16 and 17. See finder charts below.<\/p>\n

Attention astronomy enthusiasts! Are you looking for a way to show your support for astronomy education? Donate to EarthSky.org here and help us bring knowledge of the night sky and our universe to people worldwide.<\/p>\n

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The large asteroid 2013 NK4 (shown in white) has an elliptical orbit that takes it past the orbit of Mars (red) and between the orbits of Venus (pink) and Mercury (purple). It orbits the sun every 378 days. It safely passed Earth (blue) on Monday, April 15, 2024. Image via NASA.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The asteroid\u2019s orbit<\/h3>\n

Because the asteroid occasionally passes near Earth and is a fairly large space rock, 2013 NK4 holds the scary-sounding designation of Potentially Hazardous Asteroid. However, we\u2019ve known about asteroid 2013 NK4 since 2013 (thus the year designation in its name), and it has a well-defined orbit. There was absolutely no danger to Earth during its flyby.<\/p>\n

2013 NK4 orbits the sun every 378 days. But its orbit is slightly more elliptical than ours. Its orbit goes out past Mars and then dives in between the orbits of Venus and Mercury. The asteroid sped past our planet at 36,909 miles per hour (59,400 km per hour) or 10.2 miles per second (16.5 km per second) relative to Earth.<\/p>\n

Use a telescope to see the large asteroid<\/h3>\n

Using GoTo or computerized telescopes makes observing an asteroid easier than ever before. You\u2019ll be able to see the asteroid in the telescope eyepiece or screen as a slowly moving point of light in front of the background stars.<\/p>\n

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Here\u2019s a wide view of the sky on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, at 10:45 p.m CDT (3:45 UTC on April 17). Visit Stellarium for a precise view of these constellations on April 16 from your location on Earth. Illustration via Eddie Irizarry\/ Stellarium.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Star
A closer view. Observers using a computerized or GoTo telescope can point their instrument at one of these reference stars around 10:45 p.m. CDT on April 16 (3:45 UTC on April 17) to try to spot asteroid 2013 NK4. The asteroid should appear as a \u201cslow-moving star\u201d passing in front of the fixed stars in the sky. Illustration via Eddie Irizarry\/ Stellarium.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Star
Here\u2019s a wide view of the sky on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, at 10 p.m. CDT (3 UTC on April 18). Visit Stellarium for a precise view of these constellations on April 17 from your location on Earth. Illustration via Eddie Irizarry\/ Stellarium.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Star
A closer view. Observers using a computerized or GoTo telescope can point their instrument at one of these reference stars around 10 p.m. CDT on April 17 (3 UTC on April 18) to try to spot asteroid 2013 NK4. The asteroid should appear as a \u201cslow-moving star\u201d passing in front of the fixed stars in the sky. Illustration via Eddie Irizarry\/ Stellarium.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

NASA will be studying NK4<\/h3>\n

According to NASA\/JPL, astronomers will be imaging the space rock using the 230-foot (70-meter) DSS-14 Goldstone radar antenna in California from April 13-19. (See image above from April 13.) Also, on April 14, observations of this object were scheduled from Canberra, Australia, using NASA\u2019s 34-meter (112-foot) DSS-35 dish antenna.<\/p>\n

Scientists expect to acquire highly detailed delay-Doppler images, which should show the asteroid\u2019s shape and perhaps allow them to better refine the space rock\u2019s size.<\/p>\n