'Planet killer' asteroid to be viewable from Colorado this weekend

A "potentially hazardous asteroid" was just the closest it will be to Earth until 2089, but the best view of the celestial object is yet to come – and those in Colorado will be able to see it with the right gear.

The asteroid, dubbed 2011 UL21, was discovered in 2021, having a diameter of 2.3 kilometers – about 25 football fields. According to NASA , this asteroid is one of the largest near-Earth asteroids that will be observed this year.

According to EarthSky , Asteroid 2011 UL21 was the closest it will get to the planet during this pass on June 27. That said, it will appear the brightest on June 28 as it starts to move away from the planet. It will be "easily observable" in small telescopes, located near the constellation Virgo near its bright star Spica (if you've got a telescope to view the asteroid, there are many smartphone apps that can be used to narrow down this position).

While many publications have called this asteroid a "planet killer" that's large enough to "end civilization," there's no risk to planet earth from the asteroid this weekend. As Earth Sky notes, its closest distance during this pass is 4,122,350 miles – or about 17 times farther than the moon – and that already took place yesterday. It will pass closer on June 25, 2089, but it's also not expected to be a risk then either.

There is, however, a much smaller newly-discovered asteroid that measures about 400 to 850 feet long that will be passing closer to earth this weekend on June 29. It's called 2024 MK and according to the Smithsonian , it will be passing at about three-fourths of the distance to the moon at 9:46 a.m. on Saturday morning. Coloradans won't have much of a shot at spotting that one though – it will be most visible in the southern hemisphere, but may be seen in some parts of the southern United States.

If you've got a telescope, pop outside tonight and check out the best view you'll get of 2011 UL21 for 65 years.

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