March Points To The Heavens

16 Adar Aleph 5776

Uncertainties, still, for asteroid 2013 TX68 
Asteroid 2013 TX68 passes closest in early March. Astronomers have been trying to figure out how close.

...Latest estimates say the asteroid will pass no closer than 19,000 miles (30,000 km). By contrast, the moon’s distance is 250,000 miles (400,000 km). The space rock is currently approaching Earth from the sun’s direction, which makes it difficult to track it – and get a more exact orbital estimate – until it is closer to us and passes to the night sky between late February and early March.

...However, there is still uncertainty on the date of closest approach. Although asteroid 2013 TX68 may pass by Earth on March 8 at 00:06 UTC (March 7 at 7:06 pm ET), the time uncertainty is 2 days, which means the space rock may be passing by our planet sometime between the evenings of March 5 and 9.

March 8, 2016 – March 9, 2016 — Total Solar Eclipse

The total solar eclipse will be visible from parts of Indonesia including Sumatra, Borneo, and Sulawesi, and from locations in the Pacific Ocean.

Observers in northern and eastern Australia, in South Asia, and in East Asia will be able to see a partial eclipse.

The eclipse will begin at 23:19 UTC on March 8, 2016, and its maximum point will take place at 01:59 UTC on March 9, 2016. Totality will last for 4 minutes and 9 seconds.

Twin comets approach closely in March (20th) 
Two comets in similar orbits are approaching Earth. One of them – comet P/2016 BA14 (Pan-STARRS) – will be the closest comet in 246 years!

A pair of comets showing very similar orbits are approaching Earth. While both will pass at a safe distance, one of them will have a record-breakingly close flyby. Comet 252P/LINEAR 12 was already known to be passing by Earth on March 21, 2016 at a distance of 3,290,000 miles (5.3 million km). This is about 14 times the Earth-Moon distance, and, taken by itself, sets no record.

But recently astronomers learned that this comet has company. On January 22, 2016, the Pan-STARRS observatory in Hawaii detected an object with a similar orbit that was preliminary designated as asteroid 2016 BA14. Further observations showed a cometary tail, suggesting the object is a comet and not an asteroid. Did comet 252P split in two? We may find out soon.

Comet P/2016 BA14 (Pan-STARRS) will safely pass Earth on March 22,2016, passing even closer than comet 252P. Comet P/2016 BA14 flyby will be at just 2,199,933 miles (3.5 million km) or about 9 lunar distances, which is very close for a comet. In fact, this comet – P/2016 BA14 – will set a record as the third-closest known comet to pass our planet in recorded history.

...according to some astronomers, there is a slight posssibility of seeing a few meteors related to Comet P/2016 BA14 around March 20, 2016. So heads up around that date, just in case.