Asteroid 2012 DA 14 to whizz past planet Earth

Sky gazers eagerly anticipate the space rock 2012 DA 14 passing by planet Earth this weekend

13:00 15 February 2013

An asteroid called 2012 DA 14 will fly close to Earth on Friday night as it continues on its route. The event will be enjoyed by many sky viewers, especially since the asteroid will come closer to Earth than those of a similar size have in the past.

There was obviously a sigh of relief from experts when they realised the asteroid would not hit Earth. The space rock will whizz past our planet at a peak distance of 17,000 miles (which is around 27,000 kilometres).

The asteroid, which will be zooming past at five miles a second (8 kilometres) according to space experts, is definitely a sight worth seeing. Predictions state that 2012 DA 14 will be closest to planet Earth at 7.24pm on Friday.

Anybody wanting to try and catch a glimpse of it in the UK would be best checking the night sky between the hours of 6pm and 10pm, with the best chance of seeing the space rock being around 9pm, according to reports.

It is not sure whether people will be able to see the asteroid without the use of binoculars or telescopes, although NASA has said they will be streaming live images of 2012 DA 14 on the internet. It is expected that there will also be commentary available.

So, if you’re having a belated Valentine’s Day celebration, why not sit and gaze at the stars on Friday night? Or, you can always catch the asteroid passing our planet by looking online.