Are Close Approaching Asteroids a Threat to Earth Just as the Moon? | Space

SPACE — A space stone alias asteroid will pass Earth safely. The asteroid is predicted to cross Earth on March 25, 2023. This asteroid is very close, even closer than the distance from the Moon to Earth.

Astronomers at the observatory in La Palma, in the Canary Islands, Spain discovered the asteroid in late February 2023. The closest approach to Earth is expected to occur around 13:02 EDT on March 25 or 0002 WIB on March 26, 2023.

The asteroid labeled 2023 DZ2 is part of the Apollo asteroid family. Current estimates place the asteroid at about 71 meters in diameter.

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Reported from EarthSky, as of March 16, 2023, there have only been 31 observations of this asteroid’s orbit. The new observations will further define the asteroid’s orbit and allow scientists to get a more precise estimate of its size. This asteroid is likely between 53 and 120 meters in diameter.

For comparison, the asteroid that entered over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in February 2013 had a diameter of about 20 meters.

What is the 2023 DZ2?

2023 DZ2 is classified as a NEO (Near Earth Object). This object orbits the sun every 3.25 years.

As is the case with many asteroids whose orbits are not completely known, initial analysis of their trajectories indicated a 1 in 7,700 chance they would impact Earth. This means that it is almost impossible for an asteroid to impact Earth.

Asteroid 2023 DZ2 will pass a distance of 0.4 months. This distance is closer than half the Earth-Moon distance when monitored from the Earth’s surface. The relative proximity allows observers to see the asteroid rock in telescopes 6 inches in diameter or larger.

The asteroid is moving at 28,440 km/h, or 7.90 km/sec, relative to Earth. While that sounds like an enormous speed, it’s relatively slow compared to other space rocks astronomers study.

Because the asteroid will pass closer than half the Earth-Moon distance, that close distance will make it appear as a “slow-moving star” in the field of small telescopes. If lucky, observers on Earth can even detect its movement in real time.