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"Once In a Lifetime" Asteroid Sighting Monday Night

Posted by samzenpus on from the watch-the-show dept.

An anonymous reader writes Tonight, Asteroid 2004 BL86 will make a pass by the Earth at just 745,000 miles away. This should offer stargazers a great opportunity to see the half-kilometer space rock. CNN has some tips on the best method and time to look. From the article: "The best chance for viewing will be from 8 p.m. ET Monday to 1 a.m. ET Tuesday. Asteroid 2004 BL86 is large, and it will brighten, but nonetheless will not be observable with the naked eye. Some astronomy websites say a pair of binoculars could do the trick, but Sky & Telescope recommends at least a 3- or 4-inch diameter telescope. 'One good technique for fast-movers like 2004 BL86 is to identify and lock onto a star along its path,' Sky & Telescope senior editor Kelly Beatty says. 'Then just watch at the time that the asteroid is predicted to pass by that particular star.'"

6 of 59 comments (clear)

  1. If I have a really long telescope... by lseltzer · · Score: 5, Funny

    I might be able to see it through the blizzard here

    1. Re:If I have a really long telescope... by TWX · · Score: 4, Funny

      I don't think you're legitimate. You didn't say, "...blizzid heah." Too many uses of the letter R.

      --
      Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
  2. Best Chance For Viewing by Jason+Levine · · Score: 4, Funny

    "The best chance for viewing will be from 8 p.m. ET Monday to 1 a.m. ET Tuesday."

    Or, when the big winter storm slams my area making it impossible to see anything in the sky except falling snow.

    Thanks, Mother Nature!

    --
    My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
  3. That's a lot of lifetimes by T.E.D. · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Sort of. Haley's comet only comes around every 75 years, so for most of us that's a once-in-a-lifetime thing.

    However, there are oodles of asteroids and comets out there, so in general you will have plenty of opportunities in your lifetime to see some. So feel free to get some sleep tonight if you need to.

  4. Real tips are not on CNN... by AchilleTalon · · Score: 5, Informative

    I wonder why the summary let us think the CNN article is giving good tips while the real tips are coming from Sky and Telescope's website. It is a waste of time to refer people to the CNN article. Aren't we on a website for nerds or not? Here is the link: http://www.skyandtelescope.com...

    --
    Achille Talon
    Hop!
  5. Re:Interesting how many people believe... by jeffb+(2.718) · · Score: 4, Informative

    Did your job have you spending a lot of time staring up at the sky?

    If so, were you using an image intensifier, or something else that lets you see things too dim for the naked eye?

    I agree that it's silly for CNN to encourage non-enthusiasts to go out and look for this. It won't be hard for any amateur with clear skies and a small telescope, but for anybody else, (a) they're likely to miss it, and (b) they're likely to be underwhelmed if they do see it.

    But "believe in this crap"? Do you think asteroids are some sort of Illuminati lie designed to keep us in line?