'City killer' asteroid to fly between Earth and moon's orbit this weekend

An asteroid big enough to wipe out a city will zip harmlessly between Earth and the moon's orbit this weekend, missing both celestial bodies.

Saturday’s close encounter will offer astronomers the chance to study a space rock from just over 168,000km away.

That’s less than half the distance from here to the moon, making it visible through binoculars and small telescopes.

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While asteroid flybys are common, NASA said it’s rare for one so big to come so close — about once a decade.

Scientists estimate its size somewhere between 40 metres and 90 metres.

Discovered a month ago, the asteroid known as 2023 DZ2 will pass within 515,000km of the moon on Saturday and, several hours later, buzz the Indian Ocean at about 28,000km/h.

“There is no chance of this ‘city killer’ striking Earth, but its close approach offers a great opportunity for observations,” the European Space Agency’s planetary defence chief Richard Moissl said in a statement.

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Astronomers with the International Asteroid Warning Network see it as good practice for planetary defence if and when a dangerous asteroid heads our way, according to NASA.

The Virtual Telescope Project will provide a live webcast of the close approach.

The asteroid won’t be back our way again until 2026.

Although there initially seemed to be a slight chance it might strike Earth then, scientists have since ruled that out.

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