Two rare asteroids will make a close approach to Earth this week, within just 42 hours of each other.
Due to their size and trajectory, both of these space rocks are labeled as “potentially hazardous”. But that doesn’t mean they pose an immediate threat to Earth.
In fact, they both fly by safely at thousands of miles per hour. According to the European Space Agency, the probability of any of them colliding with our planet is zero percent.
None of these asteroids will be visible to the naked eye, but you may be able to spot them with binoculars or binoculars, Gianluca Masi, astrophysicist and founder of The Virtual Telescope Project, told Business Insider via email.
Or you can watch them via live streams hosted by The Virtual Telescope Project:
Use this link to watch Asteroid (415029) 2011 UL21 pass by Earth on Thursday, June 27, starting at 4:00 PM ET.
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And this link to watch the flyby of Asteroid 2024 MK on Saturday, June 29 at 5:00 PM ET.
Mountain-sized asteroid (415029) 2011 UL21
Asteroid (415029) 2011 UL21 is one of the largest asteroids to pass near Earth recently, Masi wrote in a press release.
With an estimated diameter of roughly 1.4 miles, this mountain-sized space rock is larger than 99% of all known near-Earth objects, according to the European Space Agency.
Asteroid 2011 UL21 falls into a class of space rocks known as “planet killers,” which are at least 1.2 miles across. If one were to hit Earth, it would cause continental-scale damage and potentially kick up enough dust to cause significant climate change for many years, LiveScience reported.
For example, the asteroid Chicxulub, which is credited with killing the dinosaurs, was about 6.5 miles in diameter and triggered global warming an estimated 100,000 years after the impact.
Fortunately, 2011 UL21 won’t come close enough to cause any concern on Thursday. It will sneak past Earth at a safe distance of more than 4 million miles, which is 17 times the distance between Earth and the Moon, Masi wrote.
But the flyby is notable because UL21 in 2011 will be among the 10 largest asteroids to make a close flyby of Earth in the past 125 years, he added.
Newly discovered asteroid 2024 MK
Asteroid 2024 MK was first spotted earlier this month, just 13 days before it will fly by Earth at a remarkably close distance, according to the European Space Agency.
It is much smaller than the 2011 UL21, with an estimated diameter between 390 and 885 feet. That’s roughly the length of one to 2.5 football fields.
But what this asteroid lacks in size, it should make up for in clarity. It will come within 184,000 miles of Earth, about 77% of the average distance between Earth and the Moon, Masi wrote.
Its close proximity will make it one of the brightest objects of its kind observed in recent history, he added.
This article was originally published by Business Insider.
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