An asteroid will fly past Earth on Saturday. Here’s what you can see

The asteroid will pass close to Earth this weekend and, given the right equipment and time, could be detected.

The space rock, dubbed 2024 MK, will be closest to Earth on Saturday morning, when it passes three-quarters of the way between the planet and the moon. It was first spotted two weeks ago by an observatory in South Africa. It is between 120 and 260 meters (393 and 853 feet) wide.

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

“We will see some of them throughout our lifetime, but it is not something that happens every day,” he noted.

The 2,310-metre (7,579-foot) asteroid flew safely past the planet on Thursday, but it was further 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 seen with the naked eye. It will also be moving rapidly across the southern sky, making it difficult to see.

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

Those in the southern hemisphere will have a better chance of seeing it because it will appear at a higher altitude. Those in the United States may have to wait until Saturday evening, when it will be dimmer but easier to see without the sun’s glare.

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

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