Don't miss last supermoon of 2019 and near-Earth asteroid flyby traveling at 11,000 mph

Skywatchers might want to have their telescopes handy this week when an asteroid twice the size of the one that exploded above Russia back in 2013 flies by Earth on Thursday night. Oh, and there's also going to be the third and last supermoon of the year this week as well.

No need to worry, though, the near-Earth object won't pose any danger to Earthlings down below when it makes its closest approach to the blue planet a little over 188,000 miles, or about eight-tenths the distance between Earth and the moon, according to NASA. 

Those wanting to catch a glimpse of Asteroid 2019 EA2 should head out with their telescopes since the asteroid will be too small to view with the naked eye about 9 p.m. ET. The closest approach is set to occur at 9:53 p.m. Thursday, March 21. 

The object is traveling through space at a speed of 3.3 miles per second, or 11,185 mph and is roughly 59-feet to 134-feet wide. Asteroids are rocky objects left over from the early formation of the solar system about 4.6 billion years ago that orbit the sun, according to NASA. There are currently over 700,000 known asteroids in our solar system, NASA data shows.

But, wait, there's more

If you thought that was the only astronomical event happening this week, guess again. The third and final supermoon of the year is set to occur Wednesday, March 20.

There has been a supermoon every month since the super blood wolf moon that swept over the night sky in January, but the next one after this month will not occur until March 2020.

More: How to watch the top meteor showers of 2019

More: Here's how to watch the last 'blood moon' eclipse of the decade

More: January 2019: Super blood moon, meteor showers and more light up night sky this month

“When we talk about supermoons, what that really means is that the moon in its orbit just happens to be slightly closer to the Earth than it would be when it’s in a different path of its orbit,” Daniel Batcheldor, head of physics and space sciences at Florida Institute of Technology, said. 

The "super worm equinox moon" will occur at 9:42 p.m. ET March 20, according to timeanddate.

The first full moon in March is called the "worm moon," after the time of year when worm trails reappear on the newly thawed surface, according to National Geographic.

It is also considered the last full moon of winter. Coincidentally, the full moon occurs on the same day as the vernal equinox — an event considered the first day of spring, when the sun creates equal periods of daytime and nighttime across the globe.

Camera tips

Events like these bring out photographers — amateurs and the pros.

Those wanting to take some pictures of the last supermoon of the year should make sure to bring a tripod and practice adjusting their camera's white balance for daylight settings, as well as trying out a fast shutter speed with a small aperture, according to NASA.

Jaramillo is space trends reporter at FLORIDA TODAY.

Contact Jaramillo at 321-242-3668

or antoniaj@floridatoday.com.

Twitter: @AntoniaJ_11

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