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An asteroid was about to impact the Earth last Friday, November 13, when it passed nearly 400 kilometers from the South Pacific.
The space rock, named 2020 VT4, was detected by the Asteroid Earth Impact Last Warning System (Atlas) at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, according to the Universe Today portal.
“Asteroid-2020 VT4 is estimated to be between 5 and 10 meters wide, about the size of a small house,” the outlet reported.
Furthermore, it has been recorded that this comes to break a new record, as it corresponds to “the passage of a documented non-meteoric asteroid closest to Earth”.
What would happen if it touched Earth?
Universe Today noted that “if it hit Earth, 2020 VT4 would simply put on a good show and possibly leave a meteor-strewn field in its wake.”
It was further stated that “no satellite (including the ISS, which was over the South Atlantic at the time) was affected by the passage of VT4 2020, although it certainly passed through the sphere of geostationary satellites and touched the ring of the low earth orbit “.
This asteroid skimmed the top of Earth’s atmosphere, then popped out again on Friday the 13th.
To find out more: https://t.co/bn1aswheCj
Hawaii astronomers detected it the next day. It passed 238 miles (383 km) above the earth’s surface.
Can anyone say “close one?” pic.twitter.com/LimyxQbCwp
– EarthSky (@earthskyscience) November 17, 2020
Other asteroids that have passed close to our planet
Other asteroids that have passed close to the Earth’s surface and previously held a record include:
- Asteroid 2020 HQ: Surpassed 3,000 kilometers from the planet’s surface on August 16.
- The 2008 TC3 asteroid: it was the first that was documented before and after its impact (the fragments have been recovered).
I’m an on-the-go writer focusing on tech trends, health, and international e-commerce from the ground up. For the past three years, I have been traveling, researching a book due out in 2019. I have been featured, interviewed or appeared on CNBC Squawk Box, Forbes.com, VICE, BBC World and NPR Morning Edition.
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