Asteroid To Make Historic Flyby Today

NASA predicts that Asteroid 2023 BU will pass 2,200 miles (3,600km) above the southern tip of South America at 7:27pm ET on Thursday (00:27 UCT on Friday).

NO IMPACT RISK

NASA has confirmed Asteroid 2023 BU will be a near miss with no chance of hitting Earth. "Even if it came a lot closer, most of it would burn up in the atmosphere, with bigger pieces possibly falling as meteorites"

ASTEROID DISCOVERY

Asteroid 2023 BU was discovered on Saturday, January 21, 2023. The asteroid is believed to be between 11ft (3.5m) and 28ft (8.5m) across.

It was first spotted by the same amateur astronomer in Crimea, Gennady Borisov, who discovered an interstellar comet in 2019. Within days, dozens of observations were made by astronomers around the world, allowing them to refine the asteroid’s path.

ASTEROIDS FUTURE

Asteroid 2023 BU's path will be altered drastically by Earth’s gravity as it makes the close flyby. Instead of circling the Sun every 359 days, it will move into an oval orbit lasting 425 days, according to NASA.