1998OR2 – a potential hazardous (Apollo) asteroid, approx. 2 km in diameter. It was discovered on 24 July 1998, NEAT program astronomers at the Haleakala Observatory, Hawaii. It is one of the brightest and therefore largest potentially hazardous asteroids known to exist. (Wikipedia). Measurement magnitude: +15.0V. Taken with Meade LX850 16″ SCT, SBIG STT-8300MM, February 22, 2020.
The asteroid is called 52768 (1998 OR2) and it was first spotted in 1998. The asteroid was classified as a potentially hazardous object because it passes near Earth’s orbit, but it’s not currently on NASA’s list of potential future Earth impact events. Those are gathered and monitored by NASA’s Sentry System, “a highly automated collision monitoring system that continually scans the most current asteroid catalog for possibilities of future impact with Earth over the next 100 years.”
