2,000-Feet Wide Asteroid Heads in Earth's Direction, Observed on Night of April 19
A huge asteroid that was discovered in 2014 was seen headed in the Earth's direction on the night of April 19. While the asteroid did not collide with Earth, scientists said the asteroid's trajectory of 1.1 million miles away from the planet, which is equivalent to four times the distance between the Earth and the moon, was close enough.
Officially known as 2014 JO25, the asteroid was first discovered three years ago by Arizona-based astronomers and spans 2,000-feet wide. Prior to its close encounter with Earth, NASA assured everyone that there was no possibility of collision. However, the agency said it would be a very close approach for an asteroid as big as the JO25.
"The asteroid will approach Earth from the direction of the sun and will become visible in the night sky after April 19. It is predicted to brighten to about magnitude 11, when it could be visible in small optical telescopes for one or two nights before it fades as the distance from Earth rapidly increases," NASA said prior to April 19.
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According to the agency, while several small asteroids pass within 1.1 million miles of our planet every week, JO25 is the Earth's closest brush with any identified asteroid of its magnitude in the last 13 years.
In September 2004, a large known asteroid named Toutatis also came within four lunar distances of the planet. Ten years after, in March 2014, DX110, a 100-foot wide asteroid traveling at 30,000 miles per hour (mph), also passed closer to the Earth than the moon.
Sky watchers from around the world had the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the JO25 on April 19 using telescopes at least eight inches in diameter. It became visible as it crossed the Draco constellation, seemingly moving across the skies while covering in 18 minutes the distance equivalent to the diameter of the moon.
