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Posts by
Gianluca Masi
Asteroid close encounter January 26: How to watch online
Asteroid close encounter today! Near-Earth asteroid (2023 BU) will pass safely 2,174 miles (3,500 km) away from Earth. Details here on how to watch online.
January 26, 2023
Epic! Orion moonship imaged from Earth
Orion moonship imaged when it was still more distant from Earth than the moon on November 27, 2022. Gianluca Masi of the Virtual Telescope Project reports.
November 30, 2022
Asteroid 2022 ES3 to pass within moon’s distance March 13
Near-Earth asteroid 2022 ES3 will have a close, safe encounter with Earth on March 13, 2022. Links to live viewing of the flyby, here.
March 13, 2022
Asteroid 2020 TF6 will come within 40% of moon’s distance on October 19
Gianluca Masi of the Virtual Telescope Project captured an image of the asteroid last night.
October 19, 2020
Comet NEOWISE and globular star cluster M53
Comet NEOWISE is now heading out of the inner solar system. It probably can't be seen with the eye now, although large binoculars can still pick it up. Here's a beautiful telescopic image of the comet, near the globular star cluster M53.
August 9, 2020
Small asteroid passed extremely close July 28
The Mt. Lemmon survey discovered the asteroid on July 26. It was labeled near-Earth asteroid 2020 OY4. The asteroid then passed at about 11% of the moon's distance early in the day on July 28. The Virtual Telescope Project in Rome captured its image.
July 28, 2020
The shattered heart of comet C/2019 Y4 ATLAS
Gianluca Masi in Rome wrote: "Comet C/2019 Y4 ATLAS, the one we were hoping to see putting on a great show, has shattered both its and our hearts. Its nucleus disintegrated and Saturday night I could see 3, possibly 4, main fragments."
April 12, 2020
Meet 2020 AV2, the 1st asteroid entirely within the orbit of Venus
It's difficult to see objects whose orbits are within that of Venus, because those objects always stay near the sun in our sky. Now, though, astronomers have spotted one!
January 15, 2020
Asteroid to sweep between moon and Earth tonight: How to watch online
Gianluca Masi of the Virtual Telescope Project in Rome said he just managed to capture an image of a small asteroid - labeled 2019 UB8 - coming very close on October 29, at about half the moon's distance. Details here.
October 28, 2019
International Observe the Moon Night is October 5
International Observe the Moon Night is a worldwide celebration of lunar science and exploration, celestial observation, and our cultural and personal connections to the moon. In 2019, it comes on October 5. Here's how to join in.
October 2, 2019
