Lost Asteroid 2010 WC9 to come close to Earth on May 15: Watch Live

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Asteroid 2010 WC9 will have a near-Earth encounter on May 15
Asteroid 2010 WC9 will have a near-Earth encounter on May 15

New Delhi : Space rock "Asteroid 2010 WC9" will have a near-Earth encounter, about half the lunar distance, on May 15, media reports said. 

WeekFacts.com reported that the asteroid measures from 60 to 130 meters and moves at a speed of more than 28,000 miles per hour.

Scientists say that Asteroid 2010 WC9 was "lost" and then found. The Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona first detected it on November 30, 2010, and astronomers watched it until December 1, when it faded to see. The rocky object has completed its orbit and now returns to Earth eight years later. 

At 11:05 p.om on Tuesday, Asteroid 2010 WC9 will make its closest approach only 0.53 lunar distances (126.419 miles) from Earth. 

According to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, this is the closest it will come in 300 years, the report said.

Interestingly, the observatories of Northolt Branch in London will broadcast the space event live and people can watch the show on the Internet. The broadcast will last less than 25 minutes, since the asteroid will cross our field of view during this time period. The asteroid will move fast (30 seconds of arc per minute) and experts will have to be alert to capture each second.

"We plan to broadcast this asteroid to our Facebook page if the weather forecast remains positive," Guy Wells of the observatory was quoted as saying.

"Our display will be updated every five seconds. We, of course, collect astrometric data while this happens, but the movement of the asteroid will occur every five seconds," said Wells.