Asteroid 2005 YU55′s close approach
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There is a good opportunity to observe what is currently the largest asteroid that makes a close approach to the Earth on the evening of 8 November. Asteroid 2005 YU55 is 400 metres in size and it will make its closest approach at 11pm at a distance of 324,600km, which is 85 percent of the Earth-Moon distance (but there is no chance of it hitting the Earth!). If you have a 150mm or 200mm ‘scope then, despite the presence of the Moon and the asteroid’s low altitude in the western sky, it should still be possible to see it whizzing across the sky at 8.6 arcminutes a minute at the time of closest approach.
As darkness falls around 6pm the asteroid will be in Ophiuchus, some 24 degrees up and glowing at mag.+15.2. Two hours later it will have brightened by one and a half magnitudes and moved into neighbouring Serpens. At the time of closest approach at 11pm it will have very swiftly moved into Delphinus and brightened to mag. +12, but you will need a clear western horizon to follow it as its altitude will have slipped to 14 degrees.
| Time (8 Nov) | RA | Dec | Mag |
| 6pm | 17h 53.56m | -05° 22.5′ | +15.2 |
| 7pm | 18h 14.56m | -00° 36.6′ | +14.5 |
| 8pm | 18h 38.70m | +01° 31.3′ | +13.8 |
| 9pm | 19h 06.08m | +03° 54.7′ | +13.2 |
| 10pm | 19h 36.46m | +06° 29.0′ | +12.6 |
| 11pm | 20h 09.16m | +09° 05.7′ | +12.1 |
| 12am | 20h 43.04m | +11° 34.3′ | +11.7 |
www.astronomynow.coml - neo.jpl.nasa.gov
Read also: http://www.space.com
Gregg, 56 years of amateur astronomy
November 8, 2011
Would be nice if you could show what time zone these posted times refer to, as it appears not to be UT.
The UT of 02h is 6pm in Los Angeles, but the asteroid will be at RA 21h45m, not 17h53m.
David
November 9, 2011
What Will it be at 7:00pm Santa Barbara?
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December 17, 2011
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