![]() Diameter Diameter value when known or a range (min - max) estimated using the asteroid's absolute magnitude (H) and limiting albedos of 0.25 and 0.05. The test mission was a success, changing the orbit by 32 minutes. Asteroid absolute magnitude (in general, smaller H implies larger asteroid diameter). In 2005, using the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico, astronomers learned that 1994 XD is a binary asteroid, meaning it’s a larger asteroid with a moonlet orbiting it.Īnother binary asteroid was the target of NASA’s DART mission, which crashed a small spacecraft into the moonlet orbiting asteroid Didymos to test a potential option to redirect an asteroid if one was on a crash course for Earth. The infamous asteroid Apophis will pass by Earth about 44 times more distant than the moon late on Friday (March 5). It was first identified by the Spacewatch group at Kitt Peak Observatory in Arizona in December 1994.Īsteroid 1994 XD is estimated to be about 370 to 830 meters (1,214 to 2,723 feet) in diameter, considered small for an asteroid, but it would still tower above most skyscrapers in New York City. Get the latest updates on NASA missions, watch NASA TV live, and learn about our quest to reveal the unknown and benefit all humankind. Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) will host a live broadcast of the DART. brings you the latest images, videos and news from America's space agency. ![]() The name of the asteroid comes from the year it was discovered. NASAs Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) is the first-ever space mission. At its nearest approach to our planet, the asteroid will be about eight times the distance between the Earth and the moon or more than 1.9 million miles away.Īsteroid 1994 XD orbits the sun about every 3.6 years and will make another pass by Earth in 2041. There will be plenty of distance between us and the asteroid to enjoy looking for it in the night sky without fear.Īccording to The Virtual Telescope Project, 1994 XD will make a close encounter on June 12, but close is all relative in space. In June, there are more than a dozen close approaches NEOS is tracking. Get the CNET Now newsletter If you subscribe to only one CNET newsletter, this is it. PT, but thats been delayed because of cloud cover. NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies (NEOS) uses computer modeling to determine asteroid and comet orbits and their odds of hitting Earth. The feed was scheduled to go live at 11:15 a.m. While you should not worry about this asteroid hitting Earth, it is considered "potentially hazardous" because its orbit comes within the minimum distance between Earth and the sun to meet the standard, according to NASA. ![]()
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