Earthlings can watch Two asteroids on Wednesday

New York : Astronomers and sky watchers across the world will gaze into the sky as two asteroids are expected to come close by Earth within hours of each other on Wednesday, the US space agency said.

The asteroids measuring several meters in diameter were discovered on Sunday by a telescope in Arizona and will pass closer than the moon’s distance to Earth, NASA said.

Though asteroids come within that distance of Earth regularly, it is rare for two to do so within such a short span.

The first asteroid known as 2010 RX30 measures 10 to 20 meters and will pass within 248,000 km of Earth at 0951 GMT. The second, known as 2010 RF12 and measuring some 6 to 14 meters, will come just 79,000 km from Earth at 2212 GMT.

The objects should be visible from moderate strength amateur telescopes, NASA said.