Skip to main content

A large asteroid is about to zip between Earth and the moon

A newly discovered asteroid up to 310 feet wide will hurtle between Earth and the moon this weekend at a speed of about 17,000 miles per hour (27,400 kilometers per hour) relative to Earth.

Asteroid 2023 DZ2 was discovered by astronomers at the observatory of La Palma, in the Canary Islands, Spain, on February 27.

Recommended Videos

The good news is that 2023 DZ2 is going to pass by at a distance of about 100,000 miles, so there’s no risk to communities here on terra firma.

Still, a close encounter with an asteroid this big doesn’t happen very often, so astronomers are understandably pretty excited about it.

“While close approaches are a regular occurrence, one by an asteroid of this size (140-310 feet) happens only about once per decade, providing a unique opportunity for science,” NASA said in a tweet on its Asteroid Watch account.

It added that astronomers with the International Asteroid Warning Network will use the close approach to learn as much as possible about 2023 DZ2, describing the event as “good practice for planetary defense in the future if a potential asteroid threat were ever discovered.”

As part of its ongoing planetary defense efforts, NASA last year crashed a spacecraft into a distant asteroid to see if the force of the collision would alter its course. Initial data suggested that the ambitious DART mission succeeded, providing humanity with a way of better protecting itself against any asteroids that are identified as being on a collision course with Earth.

How to track asteroid 2023 DZ2

As the asteroid will be passing by about halfway between Earth and the moon, it will resemble a slow-moving star if viewed through a small telescope, according to EarthSky.

The site says the best way to spot it will be by pointing a telescope toward a star in the asteroid’s path and then waiting for it to pass through the field of view. For those in the Northern Hemisphere, the best chance to spot 2023 DZ2 through a telescope will be early evening on Friday, March 24, clear skies permitting. The Sky Live offers various resources to help you pinpoint the rock as it zips by.

Alternatively, you can track asteroid 2023 DZ2’s progress in real time via NASA’s Eyes on Asteroids website, a powerful 3D visualization tool that tracks all the known asteroids in our solar system.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
NASA’s mega moon rocket has just begun a 900-mile journey
The core stage of NASA's SLS rocket.

NASA’s powerful Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is set to blast four astronauts to space next year on the epic Artemis II mission that will come within about 80 miles of the lunar surface.

In preparation for the mission, the rocket’s 213-foot-tall (65 meters) core stage has just embarked on a rather more leisurely journey -- on a barge heading for the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Read more
Two asteroids whipped past Earth last week, and researchers snapped images
The Goldstone Solar System Radar, part of NASA’s Deep Space Network, made these observations of the recently discovered 500-foot-wide (150-meter-wide) asteroid 2024 MK, which made its closest approach — within about 184,000 miles (295,000 kilometers) of Earth — on June 29.

The Goldstone Solar System Radar, part of NASA’s Deep Space Network, made these observations of the recently discovered 500-foot-wide (150-meter-wide) asteroid 2024 MK, which made its closest approach — within about 184,000 miles (295,000 kilometers) of Earth — on June 29. NASA/JPL-Caltech

The last week saw not one but two asteroids whip by Earth at close distances -- not so close as to threaten the planet, but close enough for scientists to get a good view of them. Asteroid hunters tracked the pair as they passed by, and they were even imaged by NASA instruments to learn more about asteroids, including those that could potentially threaten Earth in the future.

Read more
What happened when NASA simulated an asteroid hitting Earth
An artist's impression of an asteroid approaching Earth

An artist's impression of an asteroid approaching Earth NASA

What would happen if a huge asteroid were headed toward Earth? Though this might be the topic of innumerable Hollywood movies, it's also a real concern for space agencies like NASA and its Planetary Defense Coordination Office. This is the department responsible for organizing NASA's response to a potentially deadly threat from the skies, and earlier this year it ran the world's most dramatic role-play, simulating what would happen if a dangerous asteroid were spotted on a collision course with the planet.

Read more