Observing the rock 2012 DA14 flying past the Earth on 16
February 2013 The path of asteroid 2012 DA14 across the south-
west sky as seen from Sydney on the morning of Saturday 16
February 2013. The times indicated are in AEDT while the
positions with relation to the horizon are calculated for 5:00
am. Diagram Nick Lomb On the morning of 16 February 2013
(Australian time) 2012 DA14, a piece of space rock the size of a
large city building, will hurtle past the Earth at a speed of
about 28,000 km per hour. Its closest distance to the surface of
the Earth will be about 27,700 km, which is closer than any
other similar object in modern times. That closest approach is
within the paths of the geosynchronous communication satellites
that circle at 35,800 km above the equator. However, there is no
likelihood of 2012 DA14 hitting the Earth and little chance of a
collision with a satellite. An illustration showing how 2012
DA14 will pass by the Earth and its system of artificial
satellites. Courtesy NASA It will be possi