Asteroid 2012 BX34 passing near Earth Jan. 27, 2012, ~15:30 UTC

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Universe Today:
8-Meter-Wide Asteroid Will Pass Close to Earth January 27

A small asteroid will pass extremely close to Earth tomorrow (January 27, 2012). Named 2012 BX34, this 8 meter- (26-foot-) wide space rock will skim Earth less than 71,000 km (44,000 miles 0.00048 Astronomical Units, from the latest update), at around 16:00 UTC, according to the Minor Planet Center. The latest estimates have it traveling at about about 500 meters/minute (1,643.17 ft/minute). 2012 BX34 has been observed by the Catalina Sky Survey and the Mt. Lemmon Survey in Arizona, and the Magdalena Ridge Observatory in New Mexico, so its orbit is well defined and there is no risk of impact to Earth.

Amateur astronomers in the right place and time could view this object, as it should be about magnitude 14 at the time of closest approach. Nick Howes, with the Faulkes Telescope Project said his team is hoping to observe and image the asteroid, and we hope to share their images later.

 

[NovaSilisko]

I wonder how many people are going to cite this as 'evidence' of the 2012 apocalypse?

 

[Cras]

I wonder how many people are going to cite this as 'evidence' of the 2012 apocalypse?

Oh boy, I hope they don't.

 

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An update about the timing, distance, and object size:


Discovery News: Bus-Size Asteroid to Give Earth Close Shave:

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The newly found asteroid 2012 BX34, which is about the size of a city bus, will pass within 36,750 miles (59,044 kilometers) of Earth at about 10:30 a.m. EST (1530 GMT) Friday, astronomers with NASA's Asteroid Watch program announced via Twitter.

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The space rock is about 36 feet (11 meters) wide, making it much too small to pose a threat to Earth.

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[highlight]The closest approach [eventtimer]2012-1-27 15:30?in|was;%c% %h% hours, %m%[/eventtimer] minutes[eventtimer]2012-1-27 15:30?.| ago.;%c%[/eventtimer][/highlight]

 

[SiberianTiger]

Too bad it misses.

 

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Universe Today: Astronomers Capture Images of Asteroid 2012 BX34′s Close Flyby of Earth

 

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Universe Today: 2012 BX34: Behind the Scenes in the Discovery of a Near Earth Asteroid

The images in which asteroid 2012 BX34 was discovered. Images are from Jan. 25, 2012 10:30 UT.
Credit: Alex Gibbs, Catalina Sky Survey/University of Arizona

2012 BX34 passing in front of galaxies in Virgo about 4.5 hours before closest approach to Earth.
Credit: Catalina Sky Survey/Alex Gibbs

Captures of asteroid 2012 BX34 moving through the field of background stars.
Credit: Alex Gibbs/Catalina Sky Survey.​