Asteroid 1997 XF11 created quite a stir around the time of the March 13, 1998 lunar eclipse. This is the mile-wide minor planet which is due to make - by astronomical standards at least - an earth-grazing near miss with our home planet on October 26, 2028 at about 2:30 AM EDT (which works out to 6:30 AM GMT). 1997 XF11 was first sighted by Jim Scotti at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona (111^oW35'51", 31^oN57'36") on December 6, 1997 at 4:20:04 AM MST. Herewith, a discovery chart for the thing . . . For more on this asteroid, see the Astropro NetSelect Directory, Solar System Section, Minor Planets heading. These links will take you to the discovery photo of the asteroid, an ephemeris (right ascension/declination) and orbit diagram, plus much more.

While first reports concerning the 2028 perigee of Asteroid 1997 XF11 raised the specter of a possible collision with Earth, NASA reported on March 13, 1998 that previously unrecognized photos of the asteroid dating back to 1990 had enabled a more accurate calculation of its orbit. The new figures put the asteroid's distance from Earth at about 600,000 miles in 2028. That's still a near-miss by astronomical standards - but a definite no-hitter if the calculations prove valid. (Further observations will help refine those figures over the next several months and years.) Herewith, a chart for the October 26, 2028 'near-miss' data . . . Coordinates are set for the Great Pyramid in Egypt for no particular reason, other than my own preference to use that location for events that don't have their own unique geographic coordinates.