Asteroid 2012 DA14 was discovered in February 2012 by astronomers in Spain, and they will get an up close look at it around Valentine's Day. That's because the asteroid will be passing around 20,000 miles from the surface of the Earth. That distance is quite large in terms of traveling on the planet, but that is within the orbit of some satellites, and less than 1/10 the distance between us and the moon.
Geosynchronous satellites orbit about 26,200 miles above the Earth's surface. The asteroid will pass through that orbital path, but it is unlikely to collide with any of those satellites, and will not impact Earth on this orbit. The asteroid is estimated to be about 150 feet in diameter, about half the size of a football field.
If on a future orbit 2012 DA14 does impact the Earth, it is estimated the energy released will be about 2.4 Megatons, approximately 200 times more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Japan at the end of World War II. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory estimates there is a 1 in 3,030 chance of an impact from this asteroid between 2026 and 2069.
Some bad news for causal astronomy fans, it is extremely unlikely this asteroid will be visible to the naked eye.
Geosynchronous satellites orbit about 26,200 miles above the Earth's surface. The asteroid will pass through that orbital path, but it is unlikely to collide with any of those satellites, and will not impact Earth on this orbit. The asteroid is estimated to be about 150 feet in diameter, about half the size of a football field.
If on a future orbit 2012 DA14 does impact the Earth, it is estimated the energy released will be about 2.4 Megatons, approximately 200 times more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Japan at the end of World War II. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory estimates there is a 1 in 3,030 chance of an impact from this asteroid between 2026 and 2069.
Some bad news for causal astronomy fans, it is extremely unlikely this asteroid will be visible to the naked eye.
