Asteroid 2023 DZ2: “Stadtkiller” asteroid sweeps past Earth – size of the Berlin Cathedral
A photo of asteroid 2023 DZ2 1.8 million kilometers from Earth
Source: AP/Gianluca Masi
The asteroid 2023 DZ2 will rush past our home planet on Saturday. Of its size, it would have the potential to wipe out a city. Because he is so close, you can see him with binoculars. “A great opportunity for observations,” enthuses the head of ESA’s planetary defence.
EAn asteroid about the size of the Berlin Cathedral swept just past Earth on Saturday. The celestial body discovered a month ago, called 2023 DZ2, will first pass the moon and hours later will roar across the Indian Ocean at a distance of a good 168,000 kilometers, the US space agency Nasa said. That’s less than half the distance between the Earth and the Moon.
The asteroid is estimated to be 40 to 90 meters in size, travels at around 28,000 kilometers per hour and has the potential to wipe out an entire city, NASA said. He won’t be dangerous, but interesting. Due to the small distance to earth, it can also be observed with small telescopes and even binoculars.
“It is impossible for this ‘city killer’ to hit Earth, but its close approach provides a great opportunity for observation,” said the head of the European planetary defense Space Agency ESA, Richard Moissl. The Virtual Telescope Project will broadcast a live webcast of the approach.
Good practice for planetary defense
According to Nasa, asteroids repeatedly rush past the earth by space standards, but projectiles of this size only come so close to it only about every ten years. Astronomers at the International Asteroid Warning Network consider 2023 DZ2 good practice for planetary defenses in case a dangerous asteroid heads our way. In three years he will be heading back to earth. Contrary to initial warnings, scientists are now ruling out that he could then hit her.
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