New footage shared by astronomers shows newly discovered asteroid’s close encounter with Earth
- An asteroid has zoomed past and astronomers have managed to capture incredible footage of it
- The asteroid was about 354,000 kilometers away from us
- The footage, captured by astronomer Gianluca Masi, was caught on a Virtual Telescope Project livestream
Published on Jan 31, 2024 at 4:35 PM (UTC+4)
by Adam Gray
Last updated on Jan 31, 2024 at 9:16 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Alessandro Renesis
Astronomers managed to capture incredible footage of the moment an asteroid zoomed past Earth.
It was easier said than done, as the asteroid was ‘just’ 354,000 kilometers (219,965 miles) away from us, and was picked out amongst a sky full of stars.
While the asteroid doesn’t sound like it came particularly close, it ended up coming nine-tenths of the average distance between Earth and the Moon.
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Astronomers caught it all on a Virtual Telescope Project livestream, with the asteroid appearing as a white dot moving in between the stars.
Unlike minor planets, asteroids don’t tend to get interesting name, mainly because there are so many of them out there.
Instead, they’re given simple numerical and letter-coded names for record-keeping and study, and the asteroid in question has been named 2024 BJ.
Astronomers first picked up the asteroid earlier this month, before passing by Earth at its closest point on January 27.
The video footage above, captured by astronomer Gianluca Masi, shows 2024 BJ in flight, with the asteroid appearing as a static white light against a moving background of stars, as the telescope tracks it.
We think of asteroids and worry about the possibility of a collision with Earth.
Basically, the sort of apocalyptic impact that made dinosaurs extinct millions of years ago.
However, the risks were never really present in this case, as 2024 BJ wasn’t even close enough to be classed as a potential hazard.
Even if it somehow veered off. course and did hit Earth, it wouldn’t make that much of an impact.
2024 BJ is what’s known as an ‘Apollo’ asteroid, meaning it has a sort of egg-shaped orbit around the sun that only occasionally brings it near Earth.
Meanwhile, NASA has finally opened up a capsule containing a sample from asteroid Bennu.
Some of the images in this article were created using AI.
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Adam Gray is an experienced freelance motoring journalist and content creator based in the United Kingdom. Using his media accreditation with manufacturers’ press offices, Adam test drives the latest cars and attends new vehicle press launches, producing written reviews and news pieces for a variety of lifestyle and business publications. Here at Supercar Blondie, Adam applies his journalistic skills penning social-first content around current news and trends. When he’s not behind the wheel of the latest car or writing up another viral story, Adam can be found at his local rink playing ice hockey or at the Riverside Stadium supporting his beloved Middlesbrough FC.
