Asteroid 2007 TU24 Visible on January 29, 2008
January 25, 2008 by wavenumber
In what will be the closest approach by an object of comparable size or larger until 2027, the asteroid 2007 TU24 is an opportunity for amateurs equipped with modest telescopes to observe a unique celestial event. A telescope of 3 inches or larger aperture is recommended (the Hubble, depicted, is optional).
The asteroid was discovered on October 2007 by the Catalina Sky Survey and has an estimated 150-600 meters diameter. Despite the doomsday predictions on several web forums, there’s no risk of collision. The asteroid closest approach will be 1.4 lunar distances on January 29 (08:33 UT).
Personalized ephemeris tables to your location can be obtained through the NASA web-based interface to JPL’s HORIZONS system:
An interactive orbit diagram can be found here.
NASA Near Earth Object Program original press release:
Near-Earth Asteroid 2007 TU24 to Pass Close to Earth on Jan. 29
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