A Close-Up Of Celestial Activity

04:10

January 26, 2015

While East Coasters are bracing for meteorological drama, some across the country are gazing farther into the sky.

An asteroid about a third of a mile in diameter is en route to breeze by Earth tonight, though we're assured it poses no threat to Earthlings.

Meanwhile, astronomers are buzzing over new images from the Rosetta comet mission. Kelly Beatty, senior editor at Sky & Telescope, sheds some light on the excitement around the asteroid and the new images from space.

Watch a live webcast of the asteroid fly-by
Read more and see more images via Sky & Telescope

The path of asteroid 2004 BL86 on January 26-27 carries it northward among the winter stars and makes it well positioned for viewing with a backyard telescope. Eastern Standard Time is shown, so be sure to make a time-zone correction for your location. (Sky & Telescope diagram)

Guest

Kelly Beatty, senior editor at Sky & Telescope. He tweets @NightSkyGuy.

This segment aired on January 26, 2015.