2015 RN35 will make a safe close approach of Earth at 08:12 UTC (09:12 CET) on 15 December, passing by at 686 000 km – just under two lunar distances. Observers in the Southern hemisphere will get the best view during close approach, but Europe will get a chance over the following days until about 19 December. From 15-17 December, 2015 RN35 will have a visual magnitude below 14.
(For reference, Pluto has a visual magnitude of 14). Telescopes 30 cm and larger should be able to detect our Christmas asteroid – we look forward to seeing your observations!
We don’t call this a challenge for no reason. 2015 RN35 will not shine bright in the skies like the star of Bethlehem did millennia ago. No. Smaller than the statue of liberty this asteroid is pretty little on astronomical scales. And as flybys go, at just under two times the distance to the Moon, it’s not likely to make newspaper headlines (although, you never know. Sigh.) So why is 2015 RN35 interesting? Firstly, there’s not a single asteroid out there that isn’t. Near-Earth asteroids fascinate ESA’s Planetary Defence Office in particular because they give us key insights into the composition and trajectory of potentially hazardous objects.
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