The telescopes are ready to flyAsteroid 2024 MKTenfold Asteroid 2011 is smaller than UL21 who visited Earth on June 27, But bright. One Unmissable event This officially begins the celebrationsAsteroid dayThe International day dedicated to the knowledge and observation of near-Earth asteroidsIt is celebrated on June 30 every year.
Asteroid 2024 MK is a very special guest at the party, as its close pass reminds us how It is important to monitor these hazardous materials It orbits near our planet. His discoveryIndeed, it is It happened last June 16 Thanks to the network Atlas TelescopesA warning system developed by the University of Hawaii and funded by NASA consists of four telescopes (two in Hawaii, one in Chile and one in South Africa). They automatically scan the sky several times each night for moving objects. The official announcement of the 2024 MK's existence was made on June 19, so a few days before its flyby.
The orbit of asteroid 2024 MK with its closest approach to Earth on 29 June 2024 (Credit: Gianluca Masi, Virtual Telescope Project)
In fact, the asteroid reached its minimum distance from Earth on Saturday 29 June at 3.46 pm Italian time, passing 290,000 kilometers from our planet (about 75% of the Earth-Moon distance). 2024 MK” with diameters ranging from 120 to 260 meters.It will become one of the brightest objects seen in recent history“, promises astrophysicist Gianluca Masi, scientific director of the Virtual Telescope project and coordinator of Asteroid Day in Italy. At the beginning of the evening, the asteroid shines in the Pegasus constellation. To better appreciate it, The. Virtual Telescope organizes a live streaming, broadcast on the ANSA Science Channel.
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