Asteroid 2012 TC4 to Safely Pass Earth This October
https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news197.html
A small asteroid designated 2012 TC4 will pass very close to Earth on Oct. 12, and even though scientists cannot yet predict exactly
how close it will approach, they are certain that the asteroid will fly by at a safe distance from our planet. This asteroid has not
been seen since the week it was discovered in October 2012, when it sped past Earth at about one-fourth the distance from Earth to
the moon. Estimated to be only 30 to 100 feet (10 to 30 meters) in size, the asteroid has been too distant and too faint to be detected
over the last five years. As it starts to approach Earth this summer, large telescopes will be used to re-establish its precise trajectory.
The new observations are expected to help refine knowledge about its orbit, narrowing the uncertainty about how far it will be from Earth
at its closest approach in October.
From brightness measurements made during the week it was observed in 2012, the size of this asteroid is estimated to be in the range of 30
to 100 feet (10 meters to 30 meters). For comparison, the asteroid that hit Earth’s atmosphere near Chelyabinsk, Russia, in February 2013
was roughly 70 feet (20 meters) across.
IAU Minor Planet Center
http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=2012%20TC4
