The potentially dangerous asteroid 2020 XR is getting closer. On Wednesday 4 December, at 06:27 in the morning, the celestial body will be the protagonist of a close encounter with the Earth, passing at around 2.2 million km, almost six times the average distance of the Moon.
The incoming asteroid 2020 XR: what we know
A “minimum” distance but which will still guarantee a safe passage. On December 4, the asteroid will pass by our vicinity: of all the potentially dangerous asteroids known to date that will pass near the Earth in the next twelve months, 2020 XR is the one that will arrive closest. We remind you that all asteroids larger than 140 meters capable of approaching Earth’s orbit within 7.5 million km are classified as “potentially dangerous”.
2020 XR has an estimated diameter between 290 and 650 meters and was discovered exactly 4 years before this passage, on 4 December 2020 by the Panstarrs survey. At the time of the fly-by, the asteroid will not be visible from Italy, both due to daylight hours and due to its position in the sky, which favors the southern hemisphere.
On the evening of November 30, asteroid 2020
How and when to see it
However, a few hours before, it will also be observable from our country. As astrophysicist Gianluca Masi recalls, the Virtual Telescope Project will show it live on the evening of December 3, starting from 7.30 pm, when it will still be close to its minimum distance from us and maximum apparent brightness. To participate in the totally free streaming event, simply connect to the Virtual Telescope Project website.