Asteroid to Swing by Earth Next Week

An asteroid, designated 2004 BL86, will safely swing by Earth next week, marking the closest near-Earth flyby of any known space rock ever.

This next time an asteroid this large will approach Earth so closely will be in 2027 with the asteroid known as 1999 AN10.

At the time of its closest approach on Jan. 26, 2004 BL86 will be approximately 745,000 miles (1.2 million kilometers) from Earth - that's about three times the distance of Earth to the Moon.

"Monday, January 26 will be the closest asteroid 2004 BL86 will get to Earth for at least the next 200 years," Don Yeomans, the current manager of NASA's Near Earth Object Program Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in a press release. "And while it poses no threat to Earth for the foreseeable future, it's a relatively close approach by a relatively large asteroid, so it provides us a unique opportunity to observe and learn more."

During the days surrounding its closest approach to Earth, scientists at NASA's Deep Space Network antenna at Goldstone, Calif., and the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico will attempt to acquire science data and radar-generated images of the asteroid.

This way, they hope to learn more about asteroid 2004 BL86, which was first discovered on Jan. 30, 2004 by a telescope of the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) survey in New Mexico.

But this amazing sight is not just reserved for scientists and astronomers. Even the average stargazer can catch a glimpse of 2004 BL86 by simply using either small telescopes or strong binoculars.

"Asteroids are something special," Yeomans added. "Not only did asteroids provide Earth with the building blocks of life and much of its water, but in the future, they will become valuable resources for mineral ores and other vital natural resources. They will also become the fueling stops for humanity as we continue to explore our solar system."

See a video of 2004 BL86's soon-to-be approach here.

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