Scientists Track Asteroid Flyby of Earth Set for Oct. 12

Scientists Track Asteroid Flyby of Earth Set for Oct. 12
By Doris Elin Salazar, Space.com Staff Writer | August 29, 2017 12:27pm ET
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A space rock is approaching Earth! And although it would be
irresponsible to shout "Incoming!" in a hypothetical movie theater and
create a panic, asteroid 2012 TC4 will pass quite close to Earth's
surface when it zips safely by our planet later this year.

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Teams of scientists from NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) that
monitor the locations of near-Earth objects have been tracking asteroid
2012 TC4 with various instruments, including the ESA's Very Large
Telescope Observatory. Those observations have made it possible to
better predict when the asteroid will make its flyby of Earth, and just
how close it will get to the planet. Observing close flybys like this
also helps prepare teams to detect a near-Earth asteroid whose course
might pose a threat to Earth.

2012 TC4 will fly by Earth on Oct. 12 at a distance of about 27,000
miles (43,500 kilometers), or about one-eighth the distance to the moon.
Previous observations suggested the space rock might come to within
4,200 miles (6,800 kilometers), according to a statement from
NASA.[Enormous Asteroid 'Florence' Will Safely Fly by Earth Sept. 1]

This animation depicts the Earth flyby of asteroid 2012 TC4 on Oct. 12,
2017. While scientists cannot yet predict exactly how close the space
rock will approach, they are sure it won’t get closer than 4,200 miles
(6,800 kilometers) from Earth's surface.
This animation depicts the Earth flyby of asteroid 2012 TC4 on Oct. 12,
2017. While scientists cannot yet predict exactly how close the space
rock will approach, they are sure it won’t get closer than 4,200 miles
(6,800 kilometers) from Earth's surface.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Scientists are interested in this asteroid not only because of its close
approach, but also because of its size: The asteroid is between 30 and
100 feet (10 and 30 meters) across, or the same general size as the rock
that exploded above the Russian city of Chelyabinsk in February 2013.

NASA-funded astronomers from the International Asteroid Warning Network
(IAWN) — which was formed by a United Nations subcommittee — will be
conducting additional observations of the asteroid in the weeks leading
up to the flyby "as part of an exercise of the recovery,
characterization and reporting of a potentially hazardous object
approaching Earth," according to the news release.

On Oct. 12, 2017, asteroid 2012 TC4 will safely fly past Earth.
Scientists now believe the asteroid will pass 27,000 miles (43,500
kilometers) away from Earth's surface.
On Oct. 12, 2017, asteroid 2012 TC4 will safely fly past Earth.
Scientists now believe the asteroid will pass 27,000 miles (43,500
kilometers) away from Earth's surface.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
"This is a team effort that involves more than a dozen observatories,
universities and labs across the globe so we can collectively learn the
strengths and limitations of our near-Earth object observation
capabilities," said Vishnu Reddy of the University of Arizona's Lunar
and Planetary Laboratory in Tucson, who leads the campaign to track and
characterize 2012 TC4 for the IAWN. "This effort will exercise the
entire system, to include the initial and follow-up observations,
precise orbit determination, and international communications."

Follow Doris Elin Salazar on Twitter @salazar_elin. Follow us
@Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.

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