Small Asteroid to Pass Close by Earth on September 7 (2014 RC)

[Rick]

Small Asteroid to Pass Close by Earth on September 7 (2014 RC)

A small asteroid, designated 2014 RC, will safely pass very close to the Earth on Sunday, 7 September 2014. This small asteroid was initially discovered on the night of 31 August by the Catalina Sky Survey near Tucson AZ, and independently detected the next night by the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope, located on the summit of Haleakala on Maui, Hawaii. Both reported their observations to the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, MA. Additional follow-up observations by the Catalina Sky Survey and the University of Hawaii 88-inch on Mauna Kea confirmed the orbit of 2014 RC. From its brightness, astronomers estimate that the asteroid is about 20 meters (60 feet) in size.

More: http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news184.html

[ApophisAstros]

will it be observable at all , should think it moves quite fast!

roger

[Rick]

It may be too far south. It will certainly be a faint object, but it's a moving very faint object, and that might just make it more easily spottable, given suitable conditions and location. The article says it should be bright enough for some amateur astronomers to image. The article also links to a page with appropriate orbital elements, so keep an eye out for predicted positions...

[Rick]

Reports of Meteorite Strike in Nicaragua and Update on Asteroid 2014 RC

Reports in the media over the weekend that a small meteorite impacted in Nicaragua have yet to be confirmed. A loud explosion was heard near Managua's international airport Saturday night, and photos of a 12-meter (40-foot) crater have been circulated. As yet, no eyewitness accounts or imagery have come to light of the fireball flash or debris trail that is typically associated with a meteor of the size required to produce such a crater. Since the explosion in Nicaragua occurred a full 13 hours before the close passage of asteroid 2014 RC, these two events are unrelated.

As predicted, the small asteroid 2014 RC flew safely past the Earth at 18:01 UT (2:01 pm EDT, 11:01 am PDT) on September 7 at a distance of 33,550 km (20,800 miles) above the Earth's surface. Astronomers around the world took the opportunity to observe this fairly rare event, and learned that the asteroid is about 12 meters (40 feet) in size and is spinning very rapidly.

More: http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news185.html