A little asteroid, a little stormy tango

From SpaceWeather.com:

ASTEROID FLYBY: One week from today, on July 3rd, asteroid 2004 XP14 will fly past Earth barely farther away than the Moon. There’s no danger of a collision, just a great photo-op for experienced amateur astronomers. The space rock is big enough (600 meters wide) and bright enough (11th magnitude) to see and photograph through backyard telescopes. Observing tips, a sky map and ephemerides are available at SpaceWeather.com.

RED vs. RED JR: Two of the biggest storms in the solar system are converging for a–what? A gentle bump? A ferocious collision? No one knows exactly what will happen in July when Jupiter’s Great Red Spot and its younger cousin Red Jr. get together. Astronomers are monitoring their convergence, and you can see one of the best recent images–in stereo–on SpaceWeather.com.

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