Update 3:30 p.m. Slooh captured a time-lapse of the asteroid that has been produced as a negative for better viewing. You can see this animation above, or watch a replay of the original show below.
An asteroid discovered on Feb. 28 will be zipping by our planet today, coming inside the orbit of the moon. You can watch a live show from the folks at the Slooh Space Camera consortium, who will try to track this space rock starting at 1 p.m. PT/4 p.m. ET.
The asteroid, officially named 2014 DX110, isn't a particularly big one, estimated to be between 50 and 100 feet in diameter. At its closest approach, it will be approximately 217,000 miles from Earth, just slightly smaller than the average distance between our world and the moon, which is about 239,000 miles. There is no chance of the object hitting our planet. According to NASA, scientists detect asteroids coming within the moon's orbit about 20 times per year. The asteroid isn't particularly reflective, and will have a peak brightness comparable to Uranus (which isn't observable with the naked eye).
Because of its size and faintness, Slooh can't guarantee that they will be able to spot 2014 DX110 during their show. Slooh's president, Patrick Paolucci, said that they will still try to image it for the public during its close approach. This is in preparation for a show that will track another close-approaching asteroid, 2014 CU13, which will careen by Earth on Mar. 11. That object is about the size of an 80-story building. Both shows will highlight how amateur astronomers help pinpoint asteroids and other night-sky objects.
Video: Slooh
