Asteroid Alert: 2012 DA14

 An asteroid is about to have a close encounter with Earth on February 15th.

 At 50 meters (160 ft) in diameter, asteroid 2012 DA14 will be making a close pass on the 15th of February at about 18,000 miles above the Earth's surface. That's below the orbit of geosynchronous satellites! Not to worry though, the asteroid is not a threat to Earth or the satellites orbiting above it. At it's closest approach at 19:25 Universal Time, it will brighten to around magnitude 8 and will be moving north in the sky at about 0.8° a minute.

 The best views of DA14 will be from East Europe to Asia and Australia while the asteroid moves through the constellation Virgo. By the time the sky darkens on the East Coast of North America, DA14 will have already fallen to magnitude 11. On the West Coast at dusk it will have dimmed to 12th magnitude and will be hanging around the constellation Ursa Minor.

It will still be possible to see DA14 from the USA but only with a larger telescope. And picking out a 11-12 magnitude rock from the background stars may be a bit difficult.

 To read more about 2012 DA14 and to learn how to observe it from your location follow this link:
 http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/highlights/Asteroid-DA14-to-Zip-Past-Earth-189052161.html

DA14's approximate location from Southern California on the night of Feb. 15, 9:00pm.