Orbit of asteroid 2010 WC9 (formerly called ZJ99C60) via Asteroid Orbit View and Northolt Branch Observatories.
Asteroid 2010 WC9 will safely pass at about half’s the moon’s distance on Tuesday, May 15, 2018. Estimates of its size range from 197 to 427 feet (60-130 meters), making the May 15 pass one of the closest approaches ever observed of an asteroid of this size. This asteroid was “lost” and then found again. The Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona first detected it on November 30, 2010, and astronomers watched it until December 1, when it became too faint to see. They didn’t enough observations to track its orbit fully and so predict its return. On May 8, 2018 – almost eight years later – astronomers discovered an asteroid and gave it the temporary designation ZJ99C60. Then they realized it was asteroid 2010 WC9, returning.
During the 2018 return, closest approach of asteroid 2010 WC9 will happen on May 15 at 22:05 UTC (6:05 pm EDT; translate to your time zone). At that time, the asteroid will be 0.53 lunar-distances from Earth (126,419 miles or 203,453 km from Earth). According to orbit calculations made by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the May 15 close approach is the closest of this particular asteroid in nearly 300 years.
Is this a large asteroid? No, not by any absolute measure. But it is larger than estimated size of the Chelyabinsk meteor, which entered Earth’s atmosphere, breaking windows in six Russian cities and causing some 1,500 people to seek medical attention, in 2013. Estimates of asteroid 2010 WC9’s diameter range from 197 to 427 feet (60-130 meters); estimates of the Chelyabinsk meteor’s size before encountering Earth’s atmosphere center around 65 feet (20 meters).
Asteroid 2010 WC9 is Apollo type space rock. At no time will it be visible to the eye as it sweeps past Earth. It might get as bright as magnitude +11, which would make it bright enough to be seen in amateur telescopes pointed at the correct location and time.
Asteroid 2010 WC9 is travelling though space at a speed of 28,655 miles per hour (46,116 km/h).
Asteroid 2010 WC9 at Minor Planet Center; at CNEOS
Want to view the asteroid online? Guy Wells at Northolt Branch Observatories in London, England – which specializes in observations of Near-Earth asteroids and other small solar system objects – emailed EarthSky on Friday to say:
We are planning to broadcast this asteroid live to our Facebook page on the night of May 14, likely around midnight, if the weather forecast remains positive. The broadcast will be less than 25 minutes in duration, as the asteroid will cross our field of view within that period of time. The asteroid will be moving quite rapidly (30 arcseconds per minute). Our display will update every five seconds. We are of course collecting astrometric data whilst this is happening, but the motion of the asteroid will be apparent every five seconds!
Daniel Bamberger, also at Northolt Branch Observatories, sent along the two images below. He wrote:
We imaged this object twice: First on May 9, when it was still known by its temporary designation ZJ99C60; then again on May 10, after it was identified as asteroid 2010 WC9, which had been a lost asteroid for eight years.
It is still a faint object of 18th magnitude, but it is brightening very rapidly: 2010 WC9 will be brighter than 11th magnitude at closest approach, making it visible in a small telescope!
Asteroid 2010 WC9 on May 9. Image via Daniel Bamberger/ Northolt Branch Observatories.
Asteroid 2010 WC9 on May 10. Image via Daniel Bamberger/ Northolt Branch Observatories.
Bottom line: Asteroid 2010 WC9 will pass at about half the moon’s distance on May 15, 2018. It’s one of the closest approaches ever observed of an asteroid of this size. Northolt Branch Observatories in London will offer a live viewing of the asteroid on its Facebook page, starting around midnight (London time) on May 14.
from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2rCIfeU
Orbit of asteroid 2010 WC9 (formerly called ZJ99C60) via Asteroid Orbit View and Northolt Branch Observatories.
Asteroid 2010 WC9 will safely pass at about half’s the moon’s distance on Tuesday, May 15, 2018. Estimates of its size range from 197 to 427 feet (60-130 meters), making the May 15 pass one of the closest approaches ever observed of an asteroid of this size. This asteroid was “lost” and then found again. The Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona first detected it on November 30, 2010, and astronomers watched it until December 1, when it became too faint to see. They didn’t enough observations to track its orbit fully and so predict its return. On May 8, 2018 – almost eight years later – astronomers discovered an asteroid and gave it the temporary designation ZJ99C60. Then they realized it was asteroid 2010 WC9, returning.
During the 2018 return, closest approach of asteroid 2010 WC9 will happen on May 15 at 22:05 UTC (6:05 pm EDT; translate to your time zone). At that time, the asteroid will be 0.53 lunar-distances from Earth (126,419 miles or 203,453 km from Earth). According to orbit calculations made by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the May 15 close approach is the closest of this particular asteroid in nearly 300 years.
Is this a large asteroid? No, not by any absolute measure. But it is larger than estimated size of the Chelyabinsk meteor, which entered Earth’s atmosphere, breaking windows in six Russian cities and causing some 1,500 people to seek medical attention, in 2013. Estimates of asteroid 2010 WC9’s diameter range from 197 to 427 feet (60-130 meters); estimates of the Chelyabinsk meteor’s size before encountering Earth’s atmosphere center around 65 feet (20 meters).
Asteroid 2010 WC9 is Apollo type space rock. At no time will it be visible to the eye as it sweeps past Earth. It might get as bright as magnitude +11, which would make it bright enough to be seen in amateur telescopes pointed at the correct location and time.
Asteroid 2010 WC9 is travelling though space at a speed of 28,655 miles per hour (46,116 km/h).
Asteroid 2010 WC9 at Minor Planet Center; at CNEOS
Want to view the asteroid online? Guy Wells at Northolt Branch Observatories in London, England – which specializes in observations of Near-Earth asteroids and other small solar system objects – emailed EarthSky on Friday to say:
We are planning to broadcast this asteroid live to our Facebook page on the night of May 14, likely around midnight, if the weather forecast remains positive. The broadcast will be less than 25 minutes in duration, as the asteroid will cross our field of view within that period of time. The asteroid will be moving quite rapidly (30 arcseconds per minute). Our display will update every five seconds. We are of course collecting astrometric data whilst this is happening, but the motion of the asteroid will be apparent every five seconds!
Daniel Bamberger, also at Northolt Branch Observatories, sent along the two images below. He wrote:
We imaged this object twice: First on May 9, when it was still known by its temporary designation ZJ99C60; then again on May 10, after it was identified as asteroid 2010 WC9, which had been a lost asteroid for eight years.
It is still a faint object of 18th magnitude, but it is brightening very rapidly: 2010 WC9 will be brighter than 11th magnitude at closest approach, making it visible in a small telescope!
Asteroid 2010 WC9 on May 9. Image via Daniel Bamberger/ Northolt Branch Observatories.
Asteroid 2010 WC9 on May 10. Image via Daniel Bamberger/ Northolt Branch Observatories.
Bottom line: Asteroid 2010 WC9 will pass at about half the moon’s distance on May 15, 2018. It’s one of the closest approaches ever observed of an asteroid of this size. Northolt Branch Observatories in London will offer a live viewing of the asteroid on its Facebook page, starting around midnight (London time) on May 14.
from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2rCIfeU
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