Watch asteroid fly-by with NASA

At 9:59 pm (UK time) on Friday, May 31, 2013, asteroid 1998 QE2 will sail serenely past Earth, getting no closer than about 3.6 million miles (5.8 million kilometers), or about 15 times the distance between Earth and the Moon, its closest approach for at least the next two centuries. And while QE2 is not of much interest to those astronomers and scientists on the lookout for hazardous asteroids, it is of interest to those who dabble in radar astronomy and have a 230-foot (70-meter) – or larger – radar telescope at their disposal. But you can also catch a glimpse of the asteroid by the power of the internet.

NASA is showing live telescope images of the asteroid and hosting a discussion with experts at 6.30 pm (UK time) today, Thursday 30 May, on NASA TV. You can even submit questions in advance to @AsteroidWatch on Twitter with the hashtag #asteroidQE2.

You can find out more about the asteroid as well as more opportunities to get involved in the discussions at NASA. And you can read more about asteroids here on Plus.