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An asteroid the size of a mountain has skimmed past Earth, allowing scientists to see the giant rock has a moon of its own.
[fwdevp preset_id=”8″ video_path=”1y7CYf4X3Lo”]Right now, the asteroid 2004 BL86 is sweeping past the Earth at a distance of 1.2 million kilometers, three times the distance of the moon. Closer asteroid approaches are common, but this one is gaining attention because of the size and brightness of the asteroid.
The website Lunar Meteorite Hunters lists 41 close asteroid approaches in January alone. However, some are as small as 24 meters across. The larger representatives, such as the 1.1 kilometer 2062 Aten, will pass at least ten lunar distances (LD) away; 73 in Aten’s case.
What makes 2004 BL86 (also known as 357439) stand out is the combination of closeness and size. With a length somewhere between 400 and 900 meters, its passage at 3.1LD will be the closest approach of anything this size until 2027.
Agencies/Canadajournal
