Увидеть астероид можно будет 15 февраля в начале ночи, примерно в 23.30 мск.
Астрономы утверждают: нашу планету сопровождает космическое тело размером с 14-этажный дом. Астероид 2012 DA14 обнаружили астрономы из обсерватории Ла-Сагра в Испании еще в прошлом году. И были поражены увиденным. Быстро летящая яркая точка словно преследовала нашу планету, пристроившись к ней в хвост. Стали наблюдать за странным попутчиком. И выяснилось: тело движется вокруг Солнца почти по той же орбите, что и наша планета, и почти с тем же периодом обращения вокруг нашей звезды - 365 дней. И пока совершает оборот, сближается с Землей дважды. Астероид пролетит рядом с Землей - 15 февраля 2013 года на расстоянии ближе к Земле, чем спутники.
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=159813511
The small near-Earth asteroid 2012 DA14 will pass very close to Earth on Feb. 15, 2013. Asteroid 2012 DA14 will be closest to Earth at about 11:24 a.m. PST (2:24 p.m. EST and 1924 UTC), on Feb. 15, when it will be at a distance of about 27,700 kilometers (17,200 miles) above Earth's surface. NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office can accurately predict the asteroid's path with the observations obtained, and it is therefore known that there is no chance that the asteroid might be on a collision course with Earth. Nevertheless, the flyby will provide a unique opportunity for researchers to study a near-Earth object up close.
Planetary scientist Daniel Durda talked about Near Earth asteroids, and the possibility of a mid-sized one, 2012 DA14, hitting us in 2013. The 150 ft. wide object (much smaller than Apophis) won't collide with Earth when it makes a close approach on Feb. 15th, 2013, he said, but its subsequent pass in 2020 could be of concern. We don't have enough information yet about what its orbit will look like at that time, he noted. A lot of recent asteroid & comet discoveries are being made by amateur astronomers, who ironically sometimes have better equipment and more time than the professionals, he commented.
Another asteroid of concern is 2011 AG5. About the size of a football stadium, it could cause a crater in the ground if it impacted Earth. It's going to make a near approach in February of 2023, and if it passes through in a certain way (a 1 in 625 chance), it could hit us on a return passage in 2040, he warned. Durda also talked about some of the unusual properties of Jupiter's moons, Europa and Io, as well as how we're living in the "glory age" of exoplanet discoveries, learning that our solar system is not unique, and we're not alone out there in the galaxy.
Biography:
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