Some mysterious events happen in space every day. But when a giant asteroid comes close to Earth, the whole world’s concern increases. This weekend, an exciting news has come to light for space lovers. A giant asteroid, many times larger than the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris, is going to pass very close to our earth today. Scientists have named this space rock (152637) 1997 NC1. This asteroid, discovered about 29 years ago, will be closest to Earth today, i.e. on June 27, 2026. So, the thing is that it will pass at a safe distance from Earth.
How big is this space monster?
According to the European Space Agency (ESA), the width of asteroid ‘1997 NC1’ is between 710 meters and 1600 meters. If it is compared to the Eiffel Tower, then it is many times larger and taller than it. Scientists and astronomers are very excited due to its huge size. But scientists have clarified that it does not pose any threat to the Earth and will not cause any harm. According to the international time (UTC), this huge asteroid reached its closest point to the Earth at around 11:14 minutes today. At this time, its distance from the Earth was about 2.6 million kilometers. This distance may seem small, but in fact it is about 7 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon. That is why scientists say it is completely safe. Small asteroids moving in space are common, but such a large object coming close to the Earth happens once in a few years. First detected in 1997, the asteroid will come this close to Earth again in 2088.
How can you watch this live show from home?
It is not possible for ordinary people to see this extraordinary sight with the naked eye. The easiest and best way to watch it is through an online live stream. It is being broadcast live from 23:00 UTC by ‘The Virtual Telescope Project’. Renowned astrophysicist Gianluca Masi will host this live session. If the sky is clear and you have a small telescope with an aperture of about 100 mm, then you can see it. In the sky, it will not look like a bright star, but rather a small point of light moving slowly among other stars. However, since it is a full moon this weekend, it may be difficult to see it directly due to the bright light of the moon and light pollution from cities. So watching the online feed is the best option. All the world’s major space agencies have made it clear that asteroid 1997 NC1 will be far from Earth. This event is not something to be feared, but rather a great opportunity to see the power of modern science, where we can keep a close eye on space rocks even millions of kilometers away.
