Potentially Hazardous Asteroid 2020 XR close encounter: an image – 24 Nov. 2024.

We continue tracking the Potentially Hazardous Asteroid 2020 XR, going to have a close, but obviously safe encounter with the Earth next 4 Dec., coming as close as 2.2 millions of km from us.

Potentially Hazardous Asteroid 2020 XR: 24 Nov. 2024.

Potentially Hazardous Asteroid 2020 XR: 24 Nov. 2024.

The image above comes from a single 120-second exposure, remotely taken with the “Elena” (PlaneWave 17″ + Paramount MEII + SBIG STL-6303E) robotic unit available as part of the Virtual Telescope Project. The telescope tracked the apparent motion of the asteroid, so it looks like a sharp dot of light, indicated with a white arrow.

At the imaging time, asteroid 2020 XR was at about 10 million of km from us and safely approaching.

This 450-meter large asteroid will reach its minimum distance (about 2.2 millions of km, 5.7 times the average lunar distance) from us on 4 Dec. 2024, at 05:27 UTC (source: Nasa/JPL). Of course, there are no risks at all for our planet.

We will show 2020 XR live, in real-time, almost at its minimum distance from us and at its brightest, while still visible from the Northern hemisphere!

Back to “Solar System” page

Support The Virtual Telescope Project!

Support us! Please, donate and receive an EXCLUSIVE image of the stunning COMET C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS and much more, specifically made for supporters like you!

(you can adjust the amount later)

You may also like...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *