This Thursday, a giraffe-sized asteroid that was discovered last weekend will pass incredibly close to Earth as a much farther-off "green comet" begins to shine.
According to Earth Sky, it will pass at a distance that is less than 3% of the typical distance of the moon and one-fourth that of geostationary satellites.
What Is Asteroid BU 2023
On January 26, the near-Earth asteroid 2023 BU will come quite close to Earth in a secure encounter as it will pass the Earth at a scarily close distance.
Astronomer Gennadiy Borisov just made the discovery of the Asteroid 2023 BU on Saturday at the MARGO Observatory in Crimea.
The asteroid was found to have a width that ranges from 12 to 28 feet (3.8 to 8.5 meters), according to a report by Space.
The Virtual Telescope Project, a pair of strong 14-inch and 17-inch robotic telescopes stationed in Ceccano, Italy, will broadcast the near flyby in real-time.
On Thursday at 19:15 UTC, astronomer Gianluca Masi will hold a live YouTube stream in which views of 2023 BU will be displayed through a telescope.
Because it is so tiny, 2023 BU will light at a maximum magnitude of 11.3, which is too dim to be seen with the naked eye and only seen through powerful telescopes.
Asteroid 2023 BU is classified as an Apollo-type asteroid because, despite crossing Earth's orbit, it spends the majority of its time far from the planet.
According to Forbes, the next time 2023 BU comes close to Earth will not be until December 2036 due to its 425-day orbital period around the sun.
Read More: ESA Challenges Amateur Astronomers to Spot Christmas Mystery Asteroid
Is The Asteroid Coming Too Close A Danger
Since 2023 BU's orbit gets it within 120 million miles (195 million kilometers) of the Sun, it is known as a "near-Earth object" (NEO).
It is not, however, categorized as a "potentially hazardous asteroid" (PHA), which is only applied to NEOs with orbits that allow for close approaches to the Earth.
This includes those that are massive enough to cause major regional damage on the surface in the event of a collision.
Nevertheless, if a collision happens, astronomers say that the worst people can expect is a loud noise resulting in a sonic boom.
However, Hindustan Times writes that an asteroid this big can still pose a threat to people on the planet because should it break down and explode in neighborhoods, it can injure individuals.
It can be remembered that in 2013, a similar asteroid explosion happened in Russia, but, fortunately, there were no reports of any casualties.
Despite this, astronomers tell the public that there is no need to worry as there is only a small chance of the asteroid striking the Earth.
Currently, comet C/2022 E3 is also seen very close to 2023 BU, which is in the constellation of Ursa Major, known for its distinctive Big Dipper asterism (ZTF).
The comet, however, will not approach any closer than around 26 million miles (42 million kilometers) from Earth when it is closest on February 2 due to its 50,000-year orbit around the Sun.
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