https://it-news.uk/tags/esa/ Recent content in ESA on IT News Hugo en-us Wed, 24 Jun 2026 23:29:00 +0800 https://it-news.uk/posts/asteroid-1997-nc1-flyby/ Wed, 24 Jun 2026 23:29:00 +0800 https://it-news.uk/posts/asteroid-1997-nc1-flyby/ <p>The European Space Agency has confirmed that a large near-Earth asteroid will make a close but perfectly safe pass by our planet this weekend, offering amateur astronomers a rare chance to spot a sizable interplanetary visitor. Asteroid (152637) 1997 NC1, a rocky body first catalogued in 1997, will reach its closest approach to Earth on Saturday at 19:14 Beijing time (11:14 UTC), coming within approximately 2.56 million kilometers — more than six times the distance between Earth and the Moon.</p>