mo4ch:>Comet set for its closest flyby of Earth in 4 centuries: What you need to know | Mo4ch News
A small comet barrelling towards Earth is set for its closest flyby in at least four centuries. Here’s everything you need to know to catch the remarkable comet jettisoning from Jupiter.Just how close are we talking?Comet 46P/Wirtanen will pass very close to Earth – in the context of the expanse of space – just 7 million miles (11 million kilometers) away on December 16 at 8:06 am EST (13:06 GMT). Essentially, there’s no need to cancel your Christmas plans.It will be the tenth closest comet approach to our planet since 1950, and the 20th closest since the ninth century AD, reports Sky and Telescope.An analysis of 46P/Wirtanen’s orbital motion for the past and future 200 years by Space.com revealed it will be the space rock’s closest approach to Earth in at least four centuries – and possibly for all time to come. A projected encounter in 2042 is expected to fire the comet farther out to space, meaning it could no longer possibly approach the Earth so closely ever again.How is Jupiter …