Astronomers will get an exciting viewing opportunity next week when an asteroid gets close to Earth.
On April 19, asteroid 2014 JO25 will come about 1.1 million miles (1.8 million kilometers) away at its closest point. NASA said it will be a close approach but there will be “no possibility for the asteroid to collide with our planet.”
“This upcoming close approach is the closest by any known asteroid of this size, or larger, since asteroid Toutatis, a 3.1-mile (five-kilometer) asteroid, which approached within about four lunar distances in September 2004,” NASA said in a statement.
While the asteroid is about 2,000 feet (650 meters) long according to NASA, it still isn’t enough to be seen with the naked eye, so a telescope is highly recommended. You can also watch it at The Virtual Telescope.
