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big asteroid flyby presented by science

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at NASA here we go again another

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asteroid is paying a visit to the

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earth-moon system asteroids have been a

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hot topic since februari 15 2013 when

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one small asteroid exploded over Russia

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and another bigger one 2012 da14 made a

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record-setting close approach to earth

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on the same day this time the visitor is

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1998 qe2 a potentially hazardous

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asteroid 2.7 kilometers in diameter

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astronomers are preparing to study the

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space rock as it harmlessly passes by on

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May 31st this is a big asteroid that's

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going to be one of the best radar

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imaging targets of the year says Lance

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Benner of NASA's Jet Propulsion

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Laboratory as my old friend radar

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astronomer Steve Austro used to say

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spaceship earth is making a flyby of the

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asteroid so we're going to exploit the

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capabilities of the radars to understand

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as much as possible at closest approach

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on May 31st the asteroid will be 5.8

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million kilometers from Earth about 15

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times farther than the moon at that

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range both the Goldstone and Arecibo

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radars should be able to make detailed

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images of 1998 qe2 s as Benner the radar

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maps should rival the images of other

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asteroids obtained by spacecraft during

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flyby missions one thing that intrigues

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Benner is the asteroids dark complexion

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according to measurements by the Spitzer

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Space Telescope 1998 qe2 reflects only

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six percent of the sunlight that falls

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on it which makes it blacker than coal

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consequently it could have a composition

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similar to that of 101 955 venue the

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target of NASA's osiris-rex mission he

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says following launch in 2016 the

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osiris-rex spacecraft will travel to

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near-earth asteroid Bennu study it from

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orbit and ultimately bring back a sample

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for laboratory study on earth near-earth

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asteroid Bennu interests researchers for

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two reasons first it is a carbon-rich

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asteroid that could Harbor amino acids

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and other organic molecules essential to

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primitive life second it's the kind of

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asteroid that NASA ultimately might want

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to nudge indeed the osiris-rex mission

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is considered to be a vital part of

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NASA's plans to find study capture and

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relocate an asteroid for exploration by

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astronauts perhaps 1998 qe2 will give

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researchers a sneak preview of this

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fascinating space rock although the

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closest approach is on May 31st the best

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time to observe 1998 qe2 will be during

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the first week of june when the asteroid

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enters northern skies at that time the

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asteroid will turn its sunlit side

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toward Earth making it an easy target

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for large backyard telescopes at maximum

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brightness on june third and fourth it

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is expected to be as bright as an 11th

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magnitude star while amateur astronomers

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watch the space rock glide through the

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constellations Libra and Ophiuchus NASA

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radars will be pinging the space rock

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with powerful bursts of radio energy

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revealing an alien landscape that no one

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has ever seen before for more big