Closer than the moon: Asteroid to speed by Earth tonight

An asteroid is set to speed by Earth closer than the moon orbits the planet tonight.

Asteroid 2023 DZ2 was only discovered last month by astronomers in La Palma in the Canary Islands, scientists estimate that its size is between 43 and 95 metres. For context, Big Ben is 96 metres tall.

This evening the rock will pass the planet at a distance of around 100,000 miles. The moon typically orbits from a distance of 238,855 miles according to NASA.

The short distance means this asteroid is designated as a Near Earth Object and will return in 2026 with an orbit around the sun taking 3.16 years.

Unfortunately, the asteroid will not be bright enough to spot with the naked eye but anyone with six inch telescopes, or larger, have a chance of spotting its flight.

Moving at an estimated 17,000 miles per hour, look towards the southeast horizon, west of the Sirius constellation for a chance of spotting the space rock as it makes its closest approach around 07:51 pm.

It was initially thought that the newly discovered asteroid would pose a risk of planetary impact in 2026 although this is no longer likely based on new observations.

Conditions Saturday evening are mixed across the UK and Ireland with cloud cover obscuring the skies over much of Scotland and southern Ireland from 07:00 pm. A band of rain is also pushing northeast into the evening.

Keep an eye on visibility near you on the WeatherRadar.