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Dear Friend of the Sentinel Mission,
You may have seen the headlines in the past week about Asteroid 2004 BL86, which will pass by our planet in less than 24 hours. Speeding by at almost 35,000 miles per hour, it will pass Earth at a distance of just 745,000 miles (about three times the distance from here to the Moon). This space rock measures about ⅓ of a mile (0.5 kilometers) across. You might be able to catch a glimpse of 2004 BL86 with your home telescope or even a pair of good binoculars.
As our esteemed colleague and Strategic Advisor British Astronomer Royal Lord Martin Rees was quoted in The Telegraph: “Although this particular asteroid won't get so close again for 200 years, others like it will get equally close much sooner." As stated so clearly in this article in Forbes, "Forget The Big Asteroid Buzzing Earth; Worry About What We Can't See," we must be determined to find as many Near-Earth Asteroids as possible.
As a Sentinel Mission supporter, you understand that it is our mission to find asteroids years before they hit Earth. There is a good probability that our Sentinel Space Telescope will discover and track the orbit of asteroids like 2004 BL86 that are on a path to impact our home planet, and we will be prepared to adjust the orbit of that asteroid in order to protect Earth. The Sentinel Mission will change the course of humanity as we become a truly space-faring civilization with the ability to defend our home from asteroid impacts.
Luckily for us, this particular flyby on Monday will only provide a unique viewing opportunity but nothing destructive to our planet. So go outside, look up and enjoy!
Best,
Ed Lu
CEO and Co-founder, Sentinel Mission
Image: NASA
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