Florence Asteroid will pass Earth on September

     FLORENCE ASTEROID

     Asteroid Florence, a large near Earth asteroid will pass safely by Earth on 1st September 2017 at a distance of about 7 million kilometers. Florence is a large near earth seized asteroid which is about 4.4 kilometer in diameter in size. Diameter data was provided by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.

ABOUT ASTEROID:

     Florence asteroid was first discovered by Schelte Bobby Bus at Siding Spring Observatory in Australia in March 1981. It is named in the honor of Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) the founder of Modern Nursing.The 2017 encounter is the closest by this asteroid since 1980 and the closest it will ever be until after 2500. Florence will brighten to ninth magnitude in late August and early september, when it will be visible in small telescopes for several nights as it moves through the constellation Piscis Austrinus, Capricornus, Aquarius and Delphinus.

OBSERVING TECHNIQUES:

     Radar has been used to observe hundreds of asteroids. When these small, natural remnants of the formation of the solar system pass relatively close to Earth, deep space radar is a powerful technique for studying their sizes, shapes, rotation, surface features and roughness, and for more precise determination of their orbital path.

More Information about asteroids near Earth objects can be found at: 

https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/ 

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroidwatch

For More information about NASA's Planetary Defence Coordination Office

https://www.nasa.gov/planetarydefense

Text Credit : NASA and Image Credit : NASA