PSI Scientists Study Surface Composition of Asteroid 2004 BL86 During Close Flyby of Earth
Planetary Science Institute researchers Vishnu Reddy and Driss Takir studied the surface composition of near-Earth asteroid 2004 BL86 during its close flyby of Earth early this morning. Remotely operating the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (NASA IRTF) on Mauna Kea, Hawai'i, Reddy and Takir studied infrared sunlight reflected off the asteroid to determine its composition. They were part of a team of astronomers from around the world studying this object. Read more
Scientists working with NASA's 230-foot-wide (70-meter) Deep Space Network antenna at Goldstone, California, have released the first radar images of asteroid 2004 BL86. The images show the asteroid, which made its closest approach today (Jan. 26, 2015) at 8:19 a.m. PST (11:19 a.m. EST) at a distance of about 745,000 miles (1.2 million kilometres, or 3.1 times the distance from Earth to the moon), has its own small moon. Read more
An asteroid the size of a cruise ship should be visible above the skies of Wales as it grazes the earth in a once in 200-year event. The orbiting lump of rock will pass just 745,000 miles - 1.2 million km - from earth. In astronomical terms it is a close shave. Read more
The 420 - 940 metre wide asteroid (357439) 2004 BL86 will make a close pass (3.1 lunar distances, 0.0080 AU) travelling at 15.67 km/second, to the Earth-Moon system on the 26th January 2015 @ 16:20 UT ±00:01.