An asteroid expected to fly by Earth in October has NASA jazzed up for the opportunity it could present for science and its own observatories, scientists and planetary defense.
The asteroid -- 2012 TC4 -- will safely fly past our planet on Oct. 12, and is not expected to come closer than 4,200 miles. In fact, NASA scientists believe the asteroid will pass as far away as 170,000 miles based on tracking data from 2012. So, take the 4,200 miles as the unlikely floor when it comes to 2012 TC4 sniffing Earth.
As for the small asteroid, it is estimated at being between 30 and 100 feet in size, NASA says in a news release.
The U.S. space agency reports that the asteroid has been out of telescope range since 2012. While it will safely fly past Earth, NASA will use the opportunity to test its asteroid detection and tracking capabilities.
This animation depicts the safe flyby of asteroid 2012 TC4 as it passes under Earth on Oct. 12, 2017. While scientists cannot yet predict exactly how close it will approach, they are certain it will come no closer than 4,200 miles (6,800 kilometers) from Earth's surface.
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"Scientists have always appreciated knowing when an asteroid will make a close approach to and safely pass the Earth because they can make preparations to collect data to characterize and learn as much as possible about it," Michael Kelley, program scientist and lead for the asteroid's observation campaign, said in the release.
"This time we are adding in another layer of effort, using this asteroid flyby to test the worldwide asteroid detection and tracking network, assessing our capability to work together in response to finding a potential real asteroid threat."
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