Two separate space events are set to give astronomers and skygazers plenty to watch over the coming weeks, with a piece of debris believed to date back to the Apollo programme due to crash into the Indian Ocean and a stadium-sized asteroid set to pass closer to Earth than usual.
The more unusual of the two involves an object designated WT1190F, a fragment of space debris measuring between one and two metres that is expected to enter Earth’s atmosphere and come down in the Indian Ocean south of Sri Lanka on the morning of November 13. Only the portions that survive the intense heat of atmospheric re-entry are expected to reach the water’s surface.
The object was first detected in February 2013 before being lost from tracking on multiple occasions and rediscovered in early October. Scientists believe it is likely a fuel tank from an Apollo mission, though its exact origins are still being examined. The debris has attracted additional attention online partly due to an unusual quirk — when the numbers are removed from its designation, the remaining letters spell WTF, a reaction many observers have noted seems fitting for a long-lost piece of space history making an unexpected return.
The second event arrives sooner, on October 31, when Asteroid 2015 TB145 will pass Earth at a distance of approximately 480,000 kilometres. The object, estimated to measure between 918 and 2,034 feet in diameter, is roughly the size of a football stadium but will not be visible to the naked eye from the ground.
NASA scientists have confirmed the asteroid poses no threat to Earth, but are hopeful its relatively close approach will allow detailed observation. The asteroid was only discovered on October 10 using the Pan-STARRS telescope in Hawaii, which operates as part of NASA’s Near-Earth Object Observation Programme, giving researchers a narrow window to prepare for its flyby.
Both events are being closely monitored by space agencies and independent astronomers, with the Indian Ocean impact in particular offering a rare opportunity to study how small debris objects behave as they re-enter the atmosphere.
