Wanna see the asteroid?

Today, an asteroid about the size of the Statue of Liberty but named 2012 DA14 will zip by only 17,200 miles from Earth. You won’t be able to see it with the naked eye, but you'll be able to check it out online via any of the links below (Via EarthSky):

Bareket Observatory in Israel is offering a free live webcast of the close approach on February 15 beginning at 20:15 UTC (2:15 p.m. Central Time in the U.S.), for a duration of about 3 hours. For more information, visit Baraket Observatory’s website. You’ll be automatically transfered to the live images, during the event.

Clay Center Observatory will offer real-time high-definition video, weather permitting, beginning at 1:00 UTC on February 16 (5 p.m. CST on February 15). Clay Center Observatory’s Ustream channel is here.
NASA Television will provide commentary starting at 19:00 UTC (1 p.m. CST) on February 15. The commentary will be streamed live online at http://www.nasa.gov/ntv and http://www.ustream.tv/nasajpl2.

Slooh Space Camera will cover the asteroid’s near-approach on Friday, February 15, with several live shows, free to the public, starting at 02:00 UTC on February 16 (8 p.m. CST). Find international times for Slooh at http://goo.gl/ythGd. Slooh will also have real-time commentary from their own Paul Cox, astronomer and author Bob Berman, and Prescott Observatory manager Matt Francis. Visit Slooh’s event page here.

Virtual Telescope Project, which calls itself “the most active facility in the world in astronomical science and education,” will also be following 2012 DA14 on February 15. Check out Virtual Telescope’s event page here.

Bethesda Painting Awards

Deadline: Friday, February 22, 2013. 

The Bethesda Arts& Entertainment District is currently accepting applications for the seventh annual Bethesda Painting Awards. Up to nine finalists will be selected to display their work in an exhibition during the month of June at Gallery B in downtown Bethesda, and the top four winners will receive $14,000 in prize monies. Best in Show will be awarded $10,000; Second Place will be honored with $2,000 and Third Place will receive $1,000. Additionally, a “Young Artist” whose birthday is after February 22, 1983 may be awarded $1,000. 

Artists must be 18 years of age or older and residents of Maryland, Virginia or Washington, D.C. All original 2-D paintings including oil, acrylic, watercolor, gouache, encaustic and mixed media will be accepted. The maximum dimensions should not exceed 60 inches in width or 84 inches in height. No reproductions. Artwork must have been completed within the last two years and must be available for the duration of the exhibit. 

Each artist must submit 5 slides, application and a non-refundable fee of $25. Digital entries will be accepted in JPG, GIF or PNG format. For a complete application, please visit www.bethesda.org, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to:

Bethesda Painting Awards
c/o Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District
7700 Old Georgetown Road
Bethesda, MD 20814

Or call 301-215-6660 x117.