[ad_1]
After averting the US Election Day catastrophe, in the form of asteroid 2018 VP1 of course, NASA is now warning that three more space rocks are headed in this direction, also suggesting that the “ planet-killer ” Bennu may be empty.
As 2020 draws to a close, the threat from outer space remains clearer than ever, with three asteroids over 30 meters in diameter traversing the direction of Earth this week alone, starting November 10 with a double header.
Measuring about half the size of the Statue of Liberty (46m), asteroid 2020 UN3 will traverse the planet at a safe distance of 4.4 million kilometers. Not long after, and almost double the size, the 72-meter 2020 UL3 will go to 5.8 million kilometers.
To keep anyone from getting too comfortable, however, on November 12, asteroid 2020 VC, which measures 34 meters in diameter or about half the wingspan of a 747 jet, is set to buzz the planet at a distance of 5.2 million kilometers.
Honorable mention goes to VS4 2018, with a diameter of 23 meters (about half the height of the Arc de Triomphe) and to VC1 2020 of 27 meters (half of the Leaning Tower of Pisa), both will fly over the Earth this week but not they should pose a threat to humanity.
Also on rt.com
Asteroid Apophis ‘killer of planets’ accelerates en route to Earth, could hit in 2068
Meanwhile, data from NASA’s Osiris-Rex spacecraft, which recently looted the potential planet-killing asteroid Bennu for some of its dust, indicates that this particular title-stealing space rock may, in fact, be empty.
Additionally, not only is Bennu likely hollow, but it’s also spinning rapidly, pushing material onto its surface and potentially tearing itself apart in the process.
Still roughly 321,868,800 km away, Bennu has a one in 2,700 chance of impacting Earth between 2175 and 2199.
In a recent study, researchers at the University of Colorado were able to calculate its gravity – and therefore its mass – by tracing the motion of rocks thrown outward by the asteroid before they crashed to its surface. The results lead the brains to suspect that Bennu has an empty core.
Also on rt.com
“Very enthusiastic” astronomers discover activity on the rare CENTAUR hybrid of comet and asteroid
“It’s as if there was a void in its center, inside which you could insert a couple of football fields” Daniel Scheeres, who led the research, explained.
The most recent data from the asteroid indicates that it completes one rotation every four hours, but that its rotation speed is increasing.
“You could imagine that maybe in a million years or less, the whole thing will fly away” Scheeres said.
The NASA team behind the incredible mission also found that Bennu’s rock was surprisingly soft, after the Osiris-Rex probe blew up the surface with a nitrogen gas explosion, rustling much more material than expected, catching all off guard.
Do you think your friends would be interested? Share this story!
Source link
