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Glasgow Live
Glasgow Live
National
Sophie Buchan

Asteroid the 'size of a bus' to 'narrowly miss' earth - how to spot in Glasgow skies

Locals in Glasgow may be able to see an asteroid the size of a double decker bus tonight (January 26).

The asteroid will narrowly pass Earth in one of the closest such encounters ever recorded, says NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration).

Given the name 2023 BU, the asteroid will soar over the southern tip of South America at about 4:27 p.m. PST (7:27 p.m. EST) only 2,200 miles (3,600 kilometers) above the planet’s surface and well within the orbit of geosynchronous satellites - nearly the same distance as the UK to Cyprus, or London to Cairo.

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For those living in the UK, the closest approach will occur at 12.27am GMT (7:27pm EST), according to the space agency.

The developer behind NASA's impact hazard assessment system, called Scout, has said that there is no worry about it impacting earth.

Davide Farnocchia, an engineer at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California said: "Despite the very few observations, it was nonetheless able to predict that the asteroid would make an extraordinarily close approach with Earth.

"In fact, this is one of the closest approaches by a known near-Earth object ever recorded."

Whilst there is no risk of it impacting Earth, if it did the effects would be minimal. The size if estimated to be 11.5 to 28 feet (3.5 to 8.5 meters) across. NASA say that it would turn into a "fireball and largely disintegrate harmlessly in the atmosphere, with some of the bigger debris potentially falling as small meteorites."

How to see the 2023 BU asteroid in Glasgow

To see the asteroid, you'll want to find a quiet spot away from light pollution and the hustle and bustle of the city.

Don't forget to bring a warm drink, some snacks, a blanket or to, and of course, a place to sit.

According to theskylive, it's visible looking in the west direction at an altitude of 27° above the horizon. However, due to its current magnitude, 2023 BU is visible only through long exposure photography.

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