Massive, once in a century asteroid to be visible flying past Earth - NASA estimates the asteroid Alinda is roughly the same width as Manhattan

A massive asteroid, (887) Alinda, is set to make its closest approach to Earth in a century, providing a spectacular opportunity for skywatchers. Discovered in 1918 by German astronomer Max Wolf, Alinda measures about 4.2 kilometers in diameter, making it one of the larger near-Earth asteroids.

This Sunday, an asteroid larger than Manhattan – large enough it could end civilization, or at least wreck a country – is casually flying by Earth. Don’t panic. This rocky beast named (887) Alinda has zero chance of hitting the blue marble anytime soon.

A once-in-a-generation asteroid broader than the width of Manhattan will be passing by the Earth — and there’s a chance you can see it for yourself. The space rock 877 Alinda, one of the five largest expected to safely but closely zoom past our planet this century,

The asteroid is so large it should be viewable with ordinary binoculars. The post Asteroid larger than Manhattan to fly by Earth appeared first on Talker.