Asteroid sighting will not be like a movie

Newbury astronomer says the asteroid due to pass Earth this evening (Tuesday) will look like a small, fast moving star

THOSE expecting scenes reminiscent of the blockbuster film Armageddon as an asteroid passes Earth this evening (Tuesday) will be sorely disappointed, says a Newbury astronomer.

Unlike the movie, in which Bruce Willis saves the world from an asteroid the size of Texas as it hurtles towards Earth, Steve Harris from the Newbury Astronomical Society says tonight's occasion will be a far more subdued affair.

The amateur astronomer said that even those belonging to the society who have telescopes are unlikely to be looking out for the asteroid as it will be moving so fast and appear more like a very small moving star.

“It's not going to look like a great lump of rock,” said Mr Harris.

“It is going to be interesting anyway.

“It's also interesting that it's not going to hit us.

“I'm not going to watch it because no one really knows where it is going to be and it's going to be quite fast.

“That's a bit of a nuisance because I would have liked to have had a look. It's the first one that we can monitor so there's lots to learn and find out about like what they are made of.”

He said that NASA would have been tracking the asteroid since 2005 which showed how far space exploration had come.

The asteroid, which is 400m (1,300ft) wide is due to pass by the Earth and be closer to it even than the moon.

It is expected to pass at its closest at 11:28pm – this will be the closest the asteroid has been in 200 years.

Asteroid 2005 YU55 is aircraft-carrier-sized, is darkly coloured and can only be seen through large binoculars or a medium telescope.