[karajorma]

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/13/130207-asteroid-flyby-earth-space-science/

Talk about too close for comfort. In a rare cosmic encounter, an asteroid will barnstorm Earth next week, missing our planet by a mere 17,200 miles (27,700 kilometers).

Designated 2012 DA14, the space rock is approximately 150 feet (45 meters) across, and astronomers are certain it will zip harmlessly past our planet on February 15—but not before making history. It will pass within the orbits of many communications satellites, making it the closest flyby on record.

"This is indeed a remarkably close approach for an asteroid this size," said Paul Chodas, a research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory Near Earth Object (NEO) program office in Pasadena, California.

"We estimate that an asteroid of this size passes this close to the Earth only once every few decades."

The giant rock—half a football field wide—was first spotted by observers at the La Sagra Observatory in southern Spain a year ago, soon after it had just finished making a much more distant pass of the Earth at 2.6 million miles (4.3 million kilometers) away.

This time around however, on February15 at 2:24 pm EST, the asteroid will be passing uncomfortably close—ten times closer than the orbit of the moon—flying over the eastern Indian Ocean near Sumatra.

[Colonol Dekker]

making it the closest flyby on record.

"We estimate that an asteroid of this size passes this close to the Earth only once every few decades."

2012 is a few months ago, but Mayans didn't have daylight savings time........It all adds up

[Wobble73]

2012 is a few months ago, but Mayans didn't have daylight savings time........It all adds up

Nor leap years..........

[Kopachris]

2012 is a few months ago, but Mayans didn't have daylight savings time........It all adds up

Nor leap years..........

No, but the people who translated the Mayan calendar date to the Gregorian date already took those into account.

[deathfun]

2012 is a few months ago, but Mayans didn't have daylight savings time........It all adds up

Nor leap years..........

No, but the people who translated the Mayan calendar date to the Gregorian date already took those into account.

Maybe their math was wrong! We're all doomed! DOOMED! DOOOOOOOOOM

[StarSlayer]

Is it going to be visible from the ground?

[redsniper]

Is it going to be visible from the ground?

I heard it would be just barely.... in Indonesia.

[newman]

Is it going to be visible from the ground?

It's visual magnitude on Feb 15 is estimated at some 7.5. So no, you won't be able to see it with the naked eye, but it will be visible in good binoculars / small telescopes (and upwards).

Check here (under "Asteroid 2012 DA14 flyby") for where to look: http://heavens-above.com/?lat=45.800&lng=16.000&loc=Zagreb&alt=131&tz=CET

[watsisname]

making it the closest flyby on record.

It is not the closest flyby on record.  It is the closest flyby for an object of this size.

Is it going to be visible from the ground?

 
Yes, but it will require a telescope.  I think it's supposed to get up to about 8th magnitude at closest approach.  That's about as bright as Saturn's moon Titan.  So if you can spot Titan, you can theoretically spot the asteroid.

However it will be moving really fast across the sky, about a degree per minute, making it a difficult target to track.  The best bet is to check the ephemeris, find a bright star that it will pass very close to, and watch the FOV closely as it's due to pass.  If weather permits I might give it a try.

[newman]

I have a telescope but this one is more of a binocular object, as it'll be difficult to track with my manual equatorial mount. So, my trusty 10x50 bins will be the instrument of choice. Just need to get under some dark skies. Anyone with a decent pair of binoculars can give this a try, a telescope isn't a must for an object of this magnitude and it'll be easier to track with hand held bins.

[watsisname]

Dang, now that I've plugged the orbit in AstroPlanner I realize just how rapidly its magnitude drops after the pass.  I was hoping it'd stay at least as bright as 10th magnitude by the time it got dark in the United States, but it's actually at 12th.  Too faint to see from my home.

Interestingly its orbit takes it from a declination of -80° to +80°.  That's one hell of a shift.

[yuezhi]

2012 is a few months ago, but Mayans didn't have daylight savings time........It all adds up

Nor leap years..........

No, but the people who translated the Mayan calendar date to the Gregorian date already took those into account.

Maybe their math was wrong! We're all doomed! DOOMED! DOOOOOOOOOM

[headdie]

lolz aside, wish I was in a part of the world where I would have a realistic chance of seeing it

[watsisname]

BREAKING: Huge Meteor Blazes Across Sky Over Russia; Sonic Boom Shatters Windows

This is almost certainly unrelated to the asteroid that's making its close approach today, but still, holy crap.  This is without a doubt the most incredible meteor ever documented in the digital age, and there is a lot of footage of it.  The sonic boom from its atmospheric entry did some localized damage and apparently some people were injured by windows blowing out.  Good thing it wasn't any larger or this would have been a very bad day for those folk.

This video of it coming in is a must see
The shockwave's arrival [LOUD]

[NGTM-1R]

The sheep look up.

[Scourge of Ages]

Heh. The best part about those two videos: GIANT METEORITE leaves trail of fire and smoke and literally explodes, and drivers just keep driving, pedestrians just keep pedestring like this sort of thing happens every day.

[Colonol Dekker]

Circumspect actions speak louder than OMGGIANTROCK!

[FreeSpaceFreak]

Heh. The best part about those two videos: GIANT METEORITE leaves trail of fire and smoke and literally explodes, and drivers just keep driving, pedestrians just keep pedestring like this sort of thing happens every day.

It's Russia, their previous one was barely 105 years ago

On the original topic - 2012 DA14 just passed by, I just happened to have the TV turned on and saw it live

[Zacam]

[Klaustrophobia]

that is too brilliant for words.