Asteroid to make safe pass by Earth this weekend

1999 KW4 will pass more than three million miles away

ROANOKE, Va. – An mile-wide asteroid, known was 1999 KW4, will make a pass by Earth this Saturday. Thankfully, this appears to be a safe pass, as the asteroid and its moon will be more than three million miles away from us at closest approach Saturday evening. 

This isn't something that can be seen with the naked eye. Both professional and amateur astronomers, alike, will take to the sky to see if they can catch a glimpse. At nearly 50,000 miles per hour, that will be a very tough feat. 

Recommended Videos



The next closest pass with this particular space rock won't be until 2036. 

More information can be found here.


About the Author:

Meteorologist Chris Michaels is an American Meteorological Society (AMS) Certified Broadcaster, forecasting weather conditions in southwest Virginia on WSLS 10 News from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. weekdays on Virginia Today.