The narrow miss of Solar System Body 2012 DA14.
On 16th February 2013, early morning our time here in Sydney, a fifty-five metre asteroid called 2012 DA14 will narrowly miss Earth, flying so far inside the Moon's orbit that it will also pass inside the orbits of the geo-synchronous orbiting satellites. We know it will miss us by 27,500 34,100 kilometres and it can be watched as it moves past, with binoculars or telescopes.
Its closest approach will be at 19:25 UTC 15th (6.25 am 16th ADST). Disappointingly, that will be after sunrise in this part of the world but early risers may see it approaching before dawn.
Calsky says "It will pass from South to North, on the night side of Earth. It will not enter the shadow cone of Earth. In Australia, the morning twilight develops as the asteroid speeds by."
Co-ordinates of 2012 DA14 for the Macarthur region are available here and a skymap from "Heavens Above" is here. The map shows it visible due South at 2.30 am AEDT (15.30 UTC) and moving swiftly Northwards across the South Eastern Sky, before first light at 5.01 am and sunrise at 6.31.
"Heavens Above" estimates that at 2.30 am, 2000 DA-14 will be at magnitude 11.5 but by 3.30 am it will brighten to 10.7 and at 4.30 am it will be 9.6.
As the sky begins to brighten, the object will be 8.0 mag at 5.30 am. Soon after dawn, it will reach it's predicted maximum of 7.0 at 6.30 am. By that time those of us in Macarthur will need to find web coverage to see it, although those in Adelaide and Perth will have a little more time to see it.
Create your own map at Calsky.
Nasa link, showing trajectory of 2012 DA-14, here.
EDIT 6th Feb: Here is the orbital diagram: