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The inhabitants of Earth are about to witness a unique and unparalleled spectacle in the coming days, when an asteroid larger than all of Manhattan will be visible in several parts of the world, The Post reported.
Asteroid 877 Alinda, one of the five largest asteroids expected to close to our planet without causing any emergencies throughout this century, is about 7.6 million miles (12.22 million km) away as of last Wednesday, and will remain there for almost a week.
According to Forbes, Sunday is the optimal day to view the near-Earth asteroid, which was discovered more than a century ago, in 1918.
The best way to see the Alinda asteroid
Even so, a pair of binoculars will be needed, as the projected magnitude of 9.4 on Sunday is not bright enough to be seen with the naked eye, astronomer Gianluca Masi of the Virtual Telescope Project reported.
For the next nine days, amateur stargazers will also be able to use binoculars to catch a glimpse of Alinda.
The best type of binoculars for stargazing is 10x50 optics, he noted.
In New York, the best time to look on Sunday is after 6 p.m. and about 22 degrees above the eastern horizon and toward the constellation Gemini, according to In The Sky.
It is understandable that if you prefer to stay at home during the cold snap, there is also a solution for that.
The Virtual Telescope Project will host a live stream of Alinda on Sunday, starting at 12:30 p.m. EDT.
It is an opportunity that we should take advantage of, as the asteroid Alinda will not be comparatively close to Earth again until 2087.
However, if you miss the opportunity to see the asteroid this time, it will not be so momentous.
"Such an event occurs on average once a decade," Masi added.