HONOLULU (KHON2) -- The University of Hawaii spotted a newly-discovered asteroid set to swing close to Earth Friday, June 28, slipping inside the orbit of the Moon.
According to calculations from NASA and the European Space Agency, the asteroid, named 2024 MK, will reach its closest point to Earth shortly after 1:30 a.m. HST.
Measuring about 575 feet across—nearly two football fields in length—asteroid 2024 MK will brighten to a visual magnitude of 8.
While fainter than what's visible to the naked eye, it will be easily detectable with binoculars or a small telescope.
The optimal viewing time from Hawaii will be around 10 p.m., appearing in the southern sky southeast of the Scorpius constellation.
Discovered on June 19 by the University of Hawaii's Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert Survey (ATLAS) telescope in Sutherland, South Africa, asteroid 2024 MK is among many asteroids routinely detected by ATLAS.
Although this asteroid poses no immediate threat to Earth, its detection underscores the capability to spot such objects well in advance of any potential impact.
"This discovery reinforces the importance of ATLAS as a crucial early warning system," said Larry Denneau, astronomer at the UH Institute for Astronomy and co-principal investigator of ATLAS. "While 2024 MK will safely pass by Earth, our ability to track it demonstrates our readiness to monitor and assess potentially hazardous asteroids."
Operated globally with four telescopes, the ATLAS system scans the entire night sky every 24 hours, serving as an initial defense against asteroids that may pose a risk to Earth.
For more information on ATLAS and ongoing asteroid monitoring efforts, visit the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy website.