[ad_1]
An asteroid that could be nearly 600 feet wide is set to fly to Earth on Saturday, overtaking us at speeds of more than 29,000 miles per hour.
The asteroid, named 2020 TY1, was first discovered in October. It is expected to pass at a distance of about 3.5 million miles, which is about 14 times the distance between the Earth and the moon, meaning it poses no risk to our planet.
It is one of the largest asteroids to have crossed Earth in recent weeks, with the last one of similar size passing on October 22. Space rock is estimated to be between 260 and 590 feet wide, making it about the size of the Great Pyramid. of Giza, which is 455 feet high.
Despite having passed the Earth for millions of miles, 2020 TY1 is considered a NEO (Near Earth Object). NASA follows the orbits of these objects to support the agency’s planetary defense office. This initiative allows NASA to detect and track potentially dangerous objects, defined as anything within five million miles of Earth, measuring more than 100 feet in width. An object this size or larger has the potential to cause significant damage to Earth, NASA says.
On November 2, an asteroid got incredibly close to Earth in astronomical terms, passing us at a distance of about 4,000 miles. Before getting close, astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson said the asteroid, 2018 VP1, would “cut” the Earth. “It’s not big enough to cause damage,” he wrote. “So if the world ends in 2020, it won’t be the Universe’s fault.”
This asteroid, which measured up to 12 feet wide, was the closest to surpassing Earth in the past 12 months, according to data from NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS).
Another asteroid is expected to fly to Earth on Saturday, with the object called 2019 XS overtaking us at a distance of about 3.4 million miles. This object is estimated to be up to 280 feet wide.
At the end of the month, a huge asteroid is ready to approach. The object, named 2000 WO107, is up to 2,690 feet wide. It will pass Earth on November 29, exactly 20 years since it was first discovered. 2000 WO107 is expected to pass a minimum distance of 2.7 million miles, traveling at a speed of approximately 56,000 miles per hour.
iStock
Source link
