Overview
- The asteroid, which will make its closest approach on Saturday, June 27 at about 13:14 Central European Time, is expected to pass roughly 2.56 million kilometers from Earth, or about 6.6 lunar distances.
- The European Space Agency says an impact is excluded and that its orbital calculations are the authoritative assessment of no danger to Earth during this flyby.
- Amateur astronomers can see the object with small telescopes or strong binoculars in suitable locations and the Virtual Telescope Project will host livestreams around the 27–28 June window for those without equipment.
- Estimates place 1997 NC1’s diameter between about 750 and 1,650 meters, but that range is uncertain because it is inferred from brightness rather than direct measurement.
- The close pass is scientifically useful because approaches by objects of this size occur only every few years and the event, arriving just before International Asteroid Day, will help refine follow-up observations though bright moonlight may reduce visibility at peak times.