Giant Asteroid to Make Closest Approach to Earth on Record
Get ready for a celestial show tonight! A massive asteroid, classified as “potentially dangerous” due to its size, will streak past our planet early tomorrow morning, making its closest approach to Earth ever recorded.
A Close Call? Not Quite
Don’t worry—”potentially dangerous” doesn’t mean this asteroid poses an immediate threat. Clocking in at a whopping 1,200 feet (366 meters) in diameter—about the size of a football stadium—this space rock, known as XR 2020, will still safely whiz by at a distance of 1.37 million miles (2.2 million kilometers) from Earth. While this might seem like a vast distance, it’s remarkably close in astronomical terms. In fact, it’s the closest any asteroid of this magnitude has ever been to our planet.
According to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), XR 2020 will reach its minimum distance at 0:27 a.m. ET tomorrow. Astronomers emphasize the asteroid poses no danger to Earth.
“When astronomers first discovered XR 2020, there were some initial concerns,” explained one astronomer. “But by going back in time and finding the asteroid in old data, they were able to refine its trajectory and rule out any danger.”
Catching a Glimpse
For anyone yearning for cosmic observation, tonight offers a unique opportunity. You can catch the historic flyby via a free livestream hosted by the Virtual Telescope Project (VTP), starting at 1:30 p.m. ET today (December 3). XR 2020 is also visible with an 8-inch (20 centimeter) telescope, according to a statement from the European Space Agency (ESA).
A Distant History
This asteroid’s path isn’t entirely new. XR 2020 made a close approach to Earth in December 1977—though it hadn’t been discovered yet. At that time, it remained undetected, passing by roughly 10 million miles (16 million kilometers) farther than its projected distance tonight.
A Long Wait for the Next Encounter
After tonight’s thrilling flyby, we won’t see XR 2020 this close again for quite some time. JPL estimates it won’t encounter Earth at a distance this close again until at least the year 2196.
Cilenty-five years later, the asteroid is expected to fly past our planet again in November 2028, but at a much greater distance.
• What methods will astronomers use to study XR 2020 during its close approach?
## Giant Asteroid’s Close Approach: An Interview
**Host:** Tonight, we’re talking about a celestial event that’s getting a lot of attention: a massive asteroid, XR 2020, is set to make its closest approach to Earth ever recorded. Joining us to discuss this is Dr. Emily Carter, an astrophysicist from the [Name of Institution]. Welcome, Dr. Carter.
**Dr. Carter:** Thank you for having me.
**Host:** This asteroid is being called “potentially dangerous” – that sounds alarming. Should we be worried?
**Dr. Carter:** It’s understandable to be curious, but “potentially dangerous” is a classification based more on size than immediate threat. XR 2020 is indeed large, about 1200 feet wide – roughly the size of a football stadium [[1](https://skyandtelescope.org/online-gallery/asteroid-2020-xr-close-approach-to-earth/)]. However, it will be passing us by at a safe distance of 1.37 million miles tomorrow morning. That’s more than five times the distance between Earth and the Moon.
**Host:** So, we’re not in any danger?
**Dr. Carter:** Not at all. This close approach is a great opportunity for astronomers to study XR 2020 up close. We can learn more about its composition and trajectory, which helps us better understand asteroids in general and refine our models of the solar system.
**Host:** What can people expect to see if they look up tonight? Will the asteroid be visible to the naked eye?
**Dr. Carter:** Unfortunately, XR 2020 will be too faint to see without specialized equipment. However, we encourage anyone interested to check out images and live feeds from observatories and space agencies that will be tracking the asteroid’s passage.
**Host:** Dr. Carter, thanks for shedding light on this exciting event.
**Dr. Carter:** My pleasure. It’s a good reminder of the incredible universe we live in and the wonders yet to be discovered.
