
An undated image of an asteroid passing through the Earth. — Depositphotos
In a treat for stargazers, a rare astronomical event is set to occur today as a massive, mountain-sized asteroid is set to be visible from Earth today.
The asteroid (887) “Alinda” will reach its peak brightness today, with a magnitude of 9.4, and will be vividly moving through the constellation Gemini, which appears in the Northern Hemisphere.
The asteroid Alinda, estimated to be approximately 2.6 miles wide, made its closest approach to Earth in decades on Wednesday (January 8), coming within 7.6 million miles of our planet, which is approximately 32 times the average distance between Earth and the moon.
According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Jet Propulsion Laboratory, asteroid Alinda is a significant target for stargazers due to its large size.
This rare “once in a decade” event can be observed today using basic stargazing binoculars or via a free livestream, according to Live Science.
Will asteroid (887) Alinda collide with Earth?
However, it's worth mentioning that an asteroid of this magnitude could potentially trigger a mass extinction event if it were to collide with the Earth.
Notably, the asteroid Alinda is not expected to make another close approach to Earth until 2087.