This Saturday an asteroid will pass very close to Earth – Telemundo Miami (51)

An asteroid will pass close to Earth this weekend and with the right equipment and timing it could be detected.

The space rock, dubbed 2024 MK, will be closest to Earth on Saturday, when it passes three-quarters of the way from the moon. It was first spotted two weeks ago by an observatory in South Africa. It is between 393 and 853 feet wide.

Smaller objects fly past Earth all the time, said Davide Farnocchia, an asteroid expert at NASA’s Near-Earth Object Research Center. Asteroids the size of this one pass by about every 25 years.

“We’ll see some of it throughout our lives, but it’s not something that happens every day,” he noted.

The 7,579-foot asteroid flew safely past the planet on Thursday, but it was farther away and could only be seen with professional telescopes.

On Saturday, the curious will need a small telescope as the rock is not bright enough to be detected with the naked eye. It will also move at high speeds across the southern sky, making it difficult to observe.

“The asteroid will pass through this star field,” said Nick Moskowitz, an astronomer at Lowell Observatory.

In the southern hemisphere, the chances of seeing it will be higher, since it will appear at a higher altitude.

Those in the United States may have to wait until Saturday evening, when it will be less bright but easier to see without the blinding light of the sun.

If you can’t see it this time, aim for April 13, 2029, when an asteroid named Apophis will pass by Earth and be visible to the naked eye from parts of Europe, Africa, and Asia.