Asteroid to scoot by Earth

PASADENA, Calif. — According to scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a small asteroid, designated 2014 RC, will safely pass very close to Earth on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2014.

At the time of closest approach, based on current calculations to be about 12:18 p.m. MDT, the asteroid will be roughly over New Zealand. From its reflected brightness, astronomers estimate that the asteroid is about 60 feet in size.

While this celestial object does not appear to pose any threat to Earth or satellites, its close approach creates a unique opportunity for researchers to observe and learn more about asteroids. Amateur astronomers with small telescopes might glimpse the fast-moving appearance of this near-Earth asteroid.

Asteroid 2014 RC was initially discovered on the night of August 31 by the Catalina Sky Survey near Tucson, Arizona, and independently detected the next night by the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope, located on the summit of Haleakalā on Maui, Hawaii.

Both reported their observations to the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Additional follow-up observations by the Catalina Sky Survey and the University of Hawaii 88-inch telescope on Mauna Kea confirmed the orbit of 2014 RC.

At the time of closest approach, 2014 RC will be approximately one-tenth the distance from the center of Earth to the moon, or about 25,000 miles. The asteroid's apparent magnitude at that time will be about 11.5, rendering it unobservable to the unaided eye.

The asteroid will pass below Earth and the geosynchronous ring of communications and weather satellites orbiting about 22,000 miles above our planet’s surface. 

While 2014 RC will not impact Earth, its orbit will bring it back to our planet's neighborhood in the future. The asteroid's future motion will be closely monitored, but no future threatening Earth encounters have been identified.

For a heliocentric view of the orbit of asteroid 2014 RC with respect to Earth and other planets, visit:

http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2014+RC&orb=1