Keep your eyes peeled to the skies this week for the coming of the asteroid 2024 MK. The massive, stadium-sized asteroid is set to course through the night sky at a distance of roughly 75% between the earth and moon.
Discovered on June 16 by The International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center, the asteroid named asteroid 2024 MK is remarkable for its astounding size and close proximation to Earth’s surface.
According to the European Space Agency, the asteroid reaches dimensions of 427 feet by 919 feet in diameter. For a slightly eerie tidbit, asteroids of these proportions are known in the biz as “city killers”.
Don’t fear, though, for astronomers have stated that there is an absolute zero chance of the asteroid hitting Earth’s surface. That said, the asteroid will chart a course rather close to it reaching at its closest distance 184,000 miles from Earth. Note that the moon is located 239,000 miles from Earth.
Typical asteroids that make their way into this range are much smaller than asteroid 2024 MK and usually burn up in the atmosphere. Typical asteroids in this range are also only visible to those with high-tech telescopes.
Asteroid 2024 MK, on the other hand, will be visible to those with amateur or small telescopes. In “one of the brightest such events in recent years”, the asteroid will be most visible on the night of Saturday, June 29.
The European Space Agency did note the slightly concerning fact that the asteroid of this size and proximity to Earth was discovered only a few days before making its pass. The agency highlights the need to improve asteroid-detecting technologies.
The timing of the asteroid is rather appropriate, as International Asteroid Day takes place on Sunday, June 30. The day commemorates the anniversary of recorded history’s largest observed asteroid strike in 1908 above Tunguska in Siberia.