When will the 2010 WC9 Asteroid pass Earth, how close will it get and will it be visible in the UK?
Here's what we know about the space stone
AN ASTEROID bigger than a football field will shoot past Earth tonight at less than half the distance of the Moon.
The rock named 2010 WC9 is expected to pass us late at night. Here's what we know about the space stone.
When will Asteroid 2010 WC9 pass Earth?
Asteroid 2010 WC9 is expected to pass us on Tuesday, May 15, 2018, at 23:05 BST.
The Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona first detected the space rock almost eight years ago on November 30, 2010.
The astronomers watched it until December 10, when it became too faint to see. But they didn’t have enough observations to track its orbit fully and to predict its return.
However, last week astronomers discovered an asteroid and temporarily named it ZJ99C60, until they realised it was merely the return of asteroid 2010 WC9, hence the name.
According to EarthSky, it will fly past Earth at 28,655 miles per hour.
How close will it get?
It will skim past us at a distance of just 26,419 miles, astronomers say.
Comparatively, 2010 WC9 is not considered a “large” asteroid by any means, but a space rock of this size does still pose a risk if it was to hit Earth.
For example, it’s much larger than the estimated size of the Chelyabinsk meteor, which in 2013 entered Earth’s atmosphere, broke windows in six Russian cities and caused some 1,500 people to seek medical attention.
According to some orbit calculations made by Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the near-miss tonight will be the closest of the 2010 WC9 asteroid in nearly 300 years.
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Will I be able to see it in the UK?
Unfortunately for stargazers, the asteroid won't be visible to the eye as it flies past Earth as it is too small.
However the Northolt Branch Observatories announced it will be broadcasting the passing of the rock live from their telescope on Facebook.
The 2010 WC9 is still the closest near-miss of the year.
In February, a 120ft-wide asteroid named 2018 CB passed Earth at 39,000 miles, less than a fifth the distance of the Moon.