Recently Spotted Asteroid, Set for Near Miss With Earth.<br />ABC reports that an asteroid <br />is set to make a close pass <br />by Earth this weekend.<br />Asteroid 2024 MK should <br />be visible with the proper <br />equipment and timing. .<br />Asteroid 2024 MK should <br />be visible with the proper <br />equipment and timing. .<br />The space rock will make its closest approach past <br />Earth early on June 29, passing at just three-quarters <br />of the distance between the Earth and the Moon.<br />The asteroid, which was first spotted two <br />weeks ago by an observatory in South Africa, <br />is estimated to be about 393 feet to 853 feet wide.<br />According to asteroid expert Davide Farnocchia, <br />who works for NASA's Center for Near-Earth <br />Object Studies, asteroids the size of 2024 MK <br />only pass by about every 25 years.<br />We’re going to see a few <br />of those during our lifetimes, <br />but it’s not something that <br />happens every other day, Davide Farnocchia, NASA Center for <br />Near-Earth Object Studies, via ABC.<br />On June 27, a 7,579-foot asteroid just passed <br />the Earth at a slightly greater distance and <br />was only visible with professional telescopes.<br />The upcoming 2024 MK will be visible <br />with a small telescope but will not <br />be visible to the naked eye. .<br />ABC reports that skywatchers in <br />the Southern Hemisphere will have <br />the best odds of spotting the asteroid.<br />The next major asteroid is set for April 13, 2029, <br />when Apophis will pass Earth and be visible with <br />the naked eye to viewers in Europe, Africa and Asia.
