Asteroid 2023 DZ2 to fly past Earth at 0.4 LD on March 25 — the largest since September 16, 2021

A newly-discovered asteroid designated 2023 DZ2 will safely fly past Earth at a distance of 0.4 LD / 0.00117 AU ( 175 029 km / 108 758 miles) from the center of our planet at 19:51 UTC on March 25, 2023.

2023 DZ2 was first observed at La Palma Observatory, Canary Islands, Spain on February 27, 2023 — 26 days before its close approach. Its estimated diameter is between 43 – 95 m (141 – 311 feet) and it belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids.

This is the 17^th known asteroid to fly past Earth within 1 lunar distance since the start of the year and the 5^th so far this month.

It is also the largest asteroid to fly past us since 2021 SG on September 16, 2021, and the ~21^st largest Near-Earth Object to fly past us on record.

If this asteroid had a trajectory that takes it toward Earth it would create a spectacular audio-visual experience and many of its pieces would survive the atmospheric entry and impact our surface. The damage it would cause depends on various factors, such as whether it hit land or water, its angle of entry, composition, and speed.

Assuming a worst-case scenario, where the asteroid impacted a populated area, the effects could include a blast wave, thermal radiation, and the release of debris and ejecta into the atmosphere. The size of the impact crater would depend on the asteroid’s velocity and composition, as well as the nature of the impact surface. A 43 – 95 m (141 – 311 feet) asteroid could potentially create a crater with a diameter of approximately 160 – 500 m (524 – 1 640 feet). However, it’s important to note that this is a rough estimate, and the actual impact crater size could vary significantly depending on a number of factors.

Asteroids of this size fly past us roughly once a decade.

2023 DZ2 is about 4 times larger than the Chelyabinsk asteroid of February 15, 2013. That object exploded in the air with a force estimated to be equivalent to 30 times the energy of the Hiroshima atomic bomb, causing a shockwave that shattered windows and damaged buildings in the Russian city of Chelyabinsk and the surrounding region. More than 1 500 people were injured, mostly from broken glass, but fortunately, there were no fatalities.

The meteor was estimated to be about 17 to 20 meters (55 to 65 feet) in size and weighed approximately 10 000 tons. It entered the atmosphere at a speed of about 19 km/s (42 500 mph) and exploded at an altitude of around 29.7 km (18.5 miles). The Chelyabinsk meteor is considered to be the largest known natural object to enter the Earth’s atmosphere since the Tunguska event in 1908, which also occurred in Russia and caused a massive explosion.

The minor planet designation for the Chelyabinsk asteroid is 2011 EO40. This is a provisional designation that was given to the asteroid by the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center when it was first observed in March 2011.

After the Chelyabinsk meteor event in 2013, the asteroid received widespread attention and media coverage. However, it is important to note that the Chelyabinsk meteor was not a newly discovered asteroid, but rather a fragment of the 2011 EO40 asteroid that had broken off and entered Earth’s atmosphere.

References:

Asteroid 2023 DZ2 at Minor Planet Center; at CNEOS

Featured image credit: CNEOS, The Watchers

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