There are just a few hours left until the close encounter with the asteroid 2020 XRa small celestial body of about 450 meters (over 4 football pitches) classified as “potentially dangerous” that at 6:27 Italians tomorrow Wednesday December 4, 2024 will reach its closest proximity to the Earth at a distance of 2.2 million kmequal to 5.7 times the average distance between the Earth and the Moon.
How and what time to observe Asteroid 2020 XR in live streaming
The flyby of asteroid 2020 XR will be visible from our skies, but unfortunately not to the naked eye: the celestial body is far too small and far too distant for us to see with our eyes. Fortunately, however, we will be able to observe the asteroid in live streaming thanks to Virtual Telescope Projectthe project founded by the Italian astronomer Gianluca Masi for observing the sky using robotic telescopes. The live broadcast is accessible from 7.30pm today on the official YouTube channel of the Virtual Telescope Project.
What does “potentially dangerous asteroid” mean and why the encounter with 2020 XR is safe
Given the great distance involved, the meeting will be completely safe and there will be no risk of collision with our planet. From a technical point of view, the definition of “potentially dangerous asteroid” refers to those celestial bodies larger than 140 meters (therefore enough to cause serious damage in the event of impact) whose orbit is capable of taking them to less than 19.5 times the Earth-Moon distance. They are therefore objects potentially capable of causing damage, but not necessarily posing a danger in the short term.
