Get ready to witness a rare celestial event! A massive asteroid known as (887) Alinda is gearing up to make its closest pass by Earth in a century. The good news is that you don’t need a fancy telescope to catch a glimpse of this cosmic visitor – a pair of binoculars will do just fine.
Discovered by German astronomer Max Wolf back in 1918, (887) Alinda is a bit of a standout in the world of asteroids. With an estimated diameter of 4.2 kilometers, it’s about the width of Manhattan Island. While asteroids can vary greatly in size, those larger than 1 kilometer are quite uncommon. So, this close encounter with (887) Alinda is definitely something special.
According to the Virtual Telescope Project, (887) Alinda is one of the five largest asteroids that will come closer to Earth than 15 million kilometers in the next two centuries. Although this asteroid is not considered a threat to our planet, its eccentric orbit will bring it pretty close to us on its current pass. In fact, it will be just 0.08220 Astronomical Units away from Earth – that’s about 12.3 million kilometers, or 32 times the average distance to the Moon.
For the next 10 days, (887) Alinda will be shining brightly in the sky, making it a perfect target for observation. If you miss the live feed provided by the Virtual Telescope, don’t worry – there will be another opportunity to see this cosmic giant on January 12 when it reaches its peak brightness.
Grab your binoculars or a small telescope and head outside, especially if you’re in the Northern hemisphere. Look for (887) Alinda in the constellations of Orion and Gemini – it should be quite a sight. These close encounters with such large asteroids are a rare treat, so make sure to make the most of this unique opportunity.
After this close approach, we’ll have to wait until January 25, 2087, for (887) Alinda to swing by Earth again. So, don’t miss out on this chance to witness a celestial marvel up close and personal.
