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Beware of the Beast! Potentially Hazardous Asteroid that Could Wipe Out a Continent to Fly by Earth
Beware of the Beast! Potentially Hazardous Asteroid that Could Wipe Out a Continent to Fly by Earth
The mammoth spacerock measures about 650 to 1,000 meters in diameter
2004 BL86 is at least 20 times bigger than the asteroid that injured 1,500 people last year in Chelyabinsk
“The encounter will be the closest known by an object this large” experts say
Outstanding Radar Targets in 2015
Jan 27: 2004 BL86
3.1 lunar distances, D~650 to 1000m
closest approach of the object this size that we know until 2027 (1999 AN10)
as good if not better than 2014 HQ124
visual magnitude of 9 for several hours! http://sservi.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/brozovic_NASAWorkshop.Oct2014.pdf
(357439) 2004 BL86
On 26 January 2015 the asteroid will briefly peak around apparent magnitude 9 and be near the celestial equator.
The asteroid will come to opposition (furthest elongation in the sky from the Sun) on 27 January 2015 at 04:31 UT. The Goldstone Deep Space Network will observe the asteroid during the January 2015 close approach. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%28357439%29_2004_BL86
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