Large Asteroid Passing Earth Will Be Visible With Small Telescope
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A little more than a week after everyone turned their eyes to the sky for a solar eclipse, another celestial event is sure to capture the attention of space lovers.
NASA says that Asteroid Florence will safely pass by Earth on Sept. 1. Florence, which is one of the largest near-Earth asteroids at about 2.7 miles wide, will come within 4.4 million miles of Earth.
Because the asteroid is so large and so close to Earth, it will be visible through small telescopes for several nights in late August and early September.
"Florence is the largest asteroid to pass by our planet this close since the NASA program to detect and track near-Earth asteroids began," Paul Chodas, manager of NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, said in a release.
According to NASA, this is the closest Florence has traveled to Earth since 1980 and the closest it will come until after 2500.
More information on Asteroid Florence can be found on NASA's website or by following AsteroidWatch on Twitter.
