ASTEROID FLYBY: Asteroid 2004 XP14 flew past Earth this morning barely farther away than the Moon. The 600m-wide asteroid glowed like an 11th magnitude star and was an easy target for backyard telescopes. Dennis Simmons of Brisbane, Australia, took this picture using his 4-inch refractor:
"The asteroid cleared the trees at 5 o'clock in the morning, local time, and then the fun began," he says. "This fella was motoring along--and I mean motoring!" (Motoring=39,000 mph.) By leapfrogging his telescope along the asteroid's path, always keeping ahead of the flying space rock, Simmons was able to record several successful exposures.
more images: from Mike Fleenor of Knoxville, Tennessee
Space/Science » in reply to re: Close asteroid flyby Sunday
Two images from Spaceweather.com