Posts by 

Eddie Irizarry

Comet Leonard in the evening sky

The first comet to be found in 2021 was Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1). It's now the brightest and best comet of this year! Charts and more here.

$5-billion asteroid Nereus flies by December 11

Asteroid Nereus will pass Earth at about 10 lunar distances on December 11, 2021. Scientists will study it. Its potential value is $5 billion in precious metals.

Heads up! Famous comet 67P/C-G nearly closest

Famous comet 67P/C-G will sweep closest to Earth in November. Finder charts help you locate this comet before it leaves for another 193 years.

Asteroid 2021 SG came from the sun’s direction

Asteroid 2021 SG - 4 times the diameter of 2013's Chelyabinsk meteor - passed near Earth without being previously detected on September 16, 2021.

Small asteroid skimmed close to Earth, hours after discovery

A small asteroid skimmed close to Earth on September 7, 2021. Asteroid 2021 RS2 passed less than 10,000 miles (about 15,000 km) away.

1,001st near-Earth asteroid glimpsed with radar

The 1,001st near-Earth asteroid observed with planetary radar is 2016 AJ193. Scientists caught it with NASA's Goldstone antenna in late August 2021.

Heads up! Close asteroid pass August 21

Close asteroid pass August 21, 2021. This fast-moving asteroid is designed 2016 AJ193. It's currently rushing inward toward the sun. It will not strike Earth.

Heads up! Small asteroid to pass very close on April 12

Small asteroid 2021 GW4 will pass extremely close to Earth on Monday, April 12, 2021. It'll pass just 12,313 miles (19,816 km) from Earth's surface, or about 5% the Earth-moon distance.

2001 FO32: Big asteroid sweeps closest this weekend

When the asteroid labeled 2001 FO32 sweeps closest to Earth on March 21, 2021, it'll be moving at such a fast pace that observers using telescopes might be able to detect its motion - its drift in front of the stars - in real time. Charts and info here.

Say goodbye to Earth’s mini-moon on February 1 and 2

In November, a new mini-moon began orbiting Earth. NASA later confirmed it's a lost-and-found 60s-era rocket from the Surveyor 2 moon mission, launched more than 50 years ago. Now the object - SO 2020 - is coming close again for one last time. Here's how to see it!