An asteroid will pass close to Earth this weekend and, with the right equipment and time, it will be possible to spot it.
The space rock, named 2024 MK, will be at its closest to Earth on Saturday morning, when it passes within three-quarters of the distance from the planet to the moon. It was first spotted two weeks ago by an observatory in South Africa and measures between 120 and 260 meters (393 to 853 feet) across.
Smaller objects are constantly passing Earth, said Davide Farnocchia, an asteroid expert at NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies. Asteroids the size of this one pass approximately every 25 years.
“We’re going to see a few of these in our lifetime, but it’s not something that happens every day,” he said.
A 2,310-meter (7,579-foot) asteroid passed safely by the planet on Thursday, but it was farther away and could only be seen with professional telescopes.
For Saturday, the curious will need a small telescope, as the rock is not bright enough to be detected with the naked eye. In addition, it will move at high speed across the southern sky, making it difficult to observe.
“The asteroid will pass through that star field,” said Nick Moskovitz, an astronomer at Lowell Observatory.
In the southern hemisphere there will be more chances of seeing it since it will appear at a higher altitude. Those in the United States may have to wait until Saturday night, when it will appear less bright but more easily seen without interference from the Sun’s blinding light.
If you can’t see it this time, aim for April 13, 2029, when an asteroid named Apophis will fly past Earth and be visible to the naked eye from parts of Europe, Africa and Asia.
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