SCI-TECH ASTRONOMY | 2023 DZ2 Asteroid that could wipe out a city is near, but don’t fear
CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA (AP) – An asteroid big enough to wipe out a city will zip harmlessly between Earth and the moon’s orbit this weekend, missing both celestial bodies.
Yesterday’s close encounter offered astronomers the chance to study a space rock from just over 100,000 miles away.
That’s less than half the distance from here to the moon, making it visible through binoculars and small telescopes.
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While asteroid flybys are common, NASA said it’s rare for one so big to come so close – about once a decade.
Scientists estimate its size somewhere between 130 feet and 300 feet.
“There is no chance of this ‘city killer’ striking Earth, but its close approach offers a great opportunity for observations,” the European Space Agency’s planetary defence chief Richard Moissl said in a statement.
Asteroid 2023 DZ2, indicated by the arrow, about 1.1 million miles away from the Earth. PHOTO: AP
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