An asteroid larger than Manhattan is hurtling towards Earth, but don’t worry – it will simply be cruising by. Thankfully, you won’t need a telescope to see it, either.
The space rock, known as (887) Alinda, boasts an impressive diameter of 4.2km or 2.6 miles and will skim past us at a relatively close distance of 7.6 million miles. Despite its size and proximity, there’s no need to panic – Alinda isn’t considered hazardous. Although it’s classified as a “Near Earth Asteroid” due to its closeness to our orbit, it’s not on a crash course with our planet.
According to the space-watching website Virtual Telescope, we can expect Alinda to reach peak brightness this Sunday, January 12. They noted: “Considering all the asteroids coming closer than 15 million of kilometers, Alinda is one of the five largest ones in size from now until 2200.” For comparison, Manhattan measures 3.7 km at its widest point, reports Wales Online.
You won’t need a telescope to catch a glimpse of this asteroid
(Image: Getty)
The asteroid will technically be visible with the naked eye, but for your best chance of getting a good view, it could be worth investing in a pair of 10×15 binoculars, according to Forbes. Visibility from London on Sunday night into Monday morning will be mixed, with partial cloud predicted by the Met Office.
However, the Alinda asteroid will be shining brightly all night, so make sure you catch a glimpse – it’s not expected to return so near to earth until 2087.
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