A rare astronomical event is set to occur this weekend, as a massive asteroid named (887) Alinda makes its closest approach to Earth in decades. The asteroid, which measures approximately 4.2 kilometers wide and is roughly the width of Manhattan, will peak in brightness on Sunday at a magnitude of 9.4.
While an asteroid of this size could potentially trigger a mass extinction event if it were to collide with Earth, its large size also makes it a great target for curious stargazers. The asteroid will be visible moving through the constellation Gemini, which appears in the Northern Hemisphere just after dark and remains visible all night long.
For those without the necessary equipment, there is a free livestream of the event available on the Virtual Telescope Project’s official YouTube page. The event will take place at 12:30 p.m. EST on January 12.
It’s worth noting that events like this occur just once a decade, and Alinda is one of the five largest asteroids predicted to pass within 9.3 million miles of Earth from now until 2200. However, NASA assures that neither Alinda nor any other known asteroid poses a threat to Earth for at least the next century.
As an added bonus, stargazers can look forward to several other exciting celestial events this month, including the full Wolf Moon rising next to Mars and a parade of six planets visible in Earth’s skies.
Source: https://www.livescience.com/space/asteroids/enormous-mountain-size-asteroid-will-be-visible-from-earth-this-weekend-in-rare-once-in-a-decade-event