12 May 2025
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Messier 53

Observing

See bright near-Earth asteroid 2017 VR12 pass close to star Spica, 7–8 March

4 March 2018 Ade Ashford

Possibly as large as The Shard in London, Apollo asteroid 2017 VR12 passes just 3¾ lunar distances from Earth at 7:53am GMT on 7 March. For a few nights, this magnitude +12 space rock is a viable target for small backyard telescopes as it gallops through Coma Berenices and Virgo, passing just 0.8 degrees from Spica on the UK night of 7–8 March.

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News Headlines

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    A faint star will reveal itself as it throws a hissy-fit
    26 March 2025
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    Discover the many fascinating moons of our Solar System
    17 March 2025
  • Mars Chopper
    A bigger and better helicopter to Mars
    16 March 2025
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