Lee Rannals for redOrbit.com
You know the feeling of standing by a highway as an 18-wheeler rushes by, and you feel the rush of air from that vehicle slinging your hair into your face? Well, if it wasn’t for the vacuum in space, then we would hypothetically be getting that rush as asteroid 2012 DA14 makes its nail-biting, close-approach of Earth this weekend.
Asteroid 2012 DA14 will be skimming by Earth at just 17,000 miles away, which is closer to us than most major weather and television satellites, which sit at 22,000 miles away in geosynchronous orbit.
The 150-foot diameter asteroid will be in the eyes of every astronomer on Friday night, but for those who will not have access to view the closely approaching space rock, you can use online resources like Slooh to view it live.
Slooh, which essentially broadcasts all celestial events, will be tracking the asteroid from two professional observatory locations, including the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa and in Arizona.
The asteroid’s approach is an exciting moment for researchers, offering up a very rare, up close and personal opportunity to study passing space rocks.
One scientist, Richard Binzel, a professor of planetary science at MIT, believes that 2012 DA14 may be feeling tremors from Earth as it floats by.
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