Asteroids are getting more headlines today - 3-5-14 - as 2014 DX110 (don't you love these designations???!!!!!) will pass about 217,000 miles from Earth at about 4:06 p.m. EST. There was another asteroid that flew by at over 2.5 million miles from us today. Both of these asteroids are about the same size or a little larger than Chelyabinsk and have been discovered in the past few days.
You can tune in to watch this flyby here at 4:00 p.m. EST.
What will really get people's attention is the official announcement that just came out as I am writing this blog about the newly discovered asteroid 2014 EC that is due to flyby Earth tomorrow at 38,500 miles - that's very close - at 4:29 p.m. EST. Depending on its composition our atmosphere would likely break it up and possibly meteorites would be produced. It would be one heck of a bright fireball but it will safely pass.
Another asteroid, VE1E9BE is due to flyby later tonight at 100,000 miles although there has not been an official announcement on that yet. This information is coming to me via Twitter and Listserv emails.
I will be on WTOP today at 5:10 p.m. EST discussing these asteroid flybys.
I think people are getting the idea that asteroids flyby all the time and the media is picking up on it. There are still sensational and WRONG articles on asteroids as I spotted 3 major errors in one major news organization's website - used comet instead of asteroid for one error. Another described 2014 DX110 as "Huge" - hardly at only 80-90 feet across. But such headline adjectives sell.
I might have more on this regarding the two close flybys depending on what if any news coverage develops.
Sky Guy in Thawing Out VA
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