A rather large asteroid zooming past earth will captivate amateur astronomers around the globe and here at UCF, the public will have the chance to get front row seat.
On Monday, Jan. 26, UCF’s Robinson Observatory will open its doors to the public for a rare opportunity to catch a glimpse of an asteroid and a comet on the same night.
“It’s a pretty unique opportunity for us in Orlando,” said Yan Fernandez, director of the observatory and an associate professor of physics. “Both objects should be bright enough to see with our telescopes even with Orlando’s light pollution. The asteroid in particular is quite interesting, so much so that I and some colleagues will be using telescopes in Hawaii and in Arecibo (Puerto Rico) to study it next week as it continues its journey through our solar system.”
The asteroid, called 2004 BL86, will pass about 750,000 miles from Earth — a relatively small astronomical distance. BL86 measures between 1,312 and 3,280 feet in diameter.
That same night, observers will also get a glimpse of C/2014 Q2 Comet Lovejoy — a long-period comet that was last seen in the inner solar system about 11,000 years ago.
The observatory will open its doors to the public from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. so guests can view all the action.
There is no cost to attend.
