A mountain-sized space rock will pass by Earth this weekend (no risk of impact)

The object, discovered in 1997 and named (152637) 1997 NC1, can be observed with small telescopes and even powerful binoculars, said the ESA Planetary Defense department.

According to their calculations, the rocky body will be located about 2.56 million kilometers from the planet, that is, approximately 6.6 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon.

Its closest approach is scheduled for 1:14 p.m. CET (11:14 a.m. GMT), at which time it will reach a speed of 8.9 km per second.

ESA experts estimate that its size ranges between 750 and 1,650 meters, depending on its albedo, although other evaluations point to somewhat smaller dimensions.

The European Space Agency confirmed that the probability of impact is zero, and that it is a safe step that is part of the periodic approaches of objects of this type.

The phenomenon can be observed from Earth with small telescopes or even powerful binoculars, especially in regions where the sky is clear, although the luminosity of the Moon could make its visibility difficult at the time of closest approach.

In this sense, Juan Luis Cano, from ESA’s Planetary Defense Office, pointed out that “an approach to Earth by an object of this size only occurs every few years, although on this occasion the bright and nearby Moon could interfere with its observation at the moment of maximum proximity.”

The asteroid will be visible mainly from the northern hemisphere during its approach and can be observed from different regions of the world at night, as long as weather conditions allow it.

Impacts from such large asteroids are extremely rare, but small and medium-sized rocks are much more common in the solar system – and can still cause serious damage – according to ESA data on its website.

These asteroids, he adds, sometimes reach the Earth’s surface, but even those that disintegrate in the atmosphere can generate aerial explosions, with shock waves that can break glass, damage buildings and injure anyone nearby.

Asteroids are ancient space rocks left over from the formation of the solar system. They are believed to have brought complex molecules, and possibly the beginnings of life, to Earth billions of years ago, according to ESA.