Close approach of asteroid Toutatis

Asteroids are the remnants of the formation of the Solar System and most orbit the Sun in a region far removed from the Earth, called the Asteroid Belt. This belt lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. However, sometimes the space rocks can leave this safe region of space and come hurtling towards the Earth. In this case they can become Near Earth Objects, such as Toutatis.

Toutatis is one of the strangest asteroids; it has an irregular shape and tumbles through space in an unusual way. Astronomers all over the world will be watching it, along with the Faulkes Telescope Project. Over the past couple of months the Faulkes Telescopes have observed the asteroid brightening in the sky as it gets closer, and have watched its speed of movement in the sky increase. Around closest approach the asteroid covers a distance of about 2 times the diameter of the full moon in about an hour.

Observations of Toutatis have been made with the Faulkes telescopes, including by schools groups. Can you spot the asteroid in the images below?

The brightness of Toutatis will reach magnitude 9 at closest approach and can be viewed through binoculars, although unfortunately for British observers it will be well south of the celestial equator.

Dr Lucie Green of the Faulkes Telescope Project is hosting a BBC 2 programme on Toutatis with Adam Hart-Davis, which will look at the strange nature of Toutatis and what astronomers hope to learn about the asteroid during this close approach. The programme will be shown on BBC2 on September 29th at 23:20.