Asteroid giant (7482) 1994 PC1 passes close to Earth or Near Earth Object (NEO) today, Wednesday, at 04.51 WIB. NEO is the term used by astronomers for celestial bodies with orbits that can approach Earth and are large enough to cause significant regional damage in the event of an impact.
Even though it is included in the danger category, the large asteroid in the Apollo asteroid category will be at a fairly safe distance, which is 1.93 million kilometers from Earth or equal to 5.15 times the distance from Earth to the Moon.
Reported from Science Alert, asteroid (7482) 1994 PC1 was first discovered in 1994 by astronomer Robert McNaught of the Siding Spring observatory, Australia. This asteroid has a diameter of 750 to 1,350 meters.
The last time this asteroid passed close to Earth was 89 years ago, on January 17, 1933. At that time the asteroid 1994 PC1 was only 1.2 million kilometers away. Then astronomers predict the asteroid will be at the same distance on January 18, 2105.
How to track
Making observations on this giant asteroid requires at least a 6-inch telescope, but if you don’t have one, you can use the sophisticated computer system provided by the United States Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
The system allows you to see the movement of celestial bodies ranging from planets, moons, satellites, to asteroids in real time.
To view asteroid 1994 PC1, you can go to https://eyes.nasa.gov/apps/asteroids/#/asteroids and track the movement of the asteroid directly. real time.
Asteroid facts (7482) 1994 PC1
The close proximity to Earth makes it easy for astronomers to study this giant asteroid. This asteroid is estimated to have a diameter of 1.05 kilometers which is comparable to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, United States.
This celestial body is included in the rocky S-type asteroid, which belongs to the Apollo asteroid group.
When passing close to Earth asteroid 1994 PC1 will fly at a very fast speed, which is 19.56 kilometers per second.
Reported from EarthSky, even at a very close distance, this asteroid will only be at magnitude 10. This means that the asteroid will appear dim to see with the naked eye or binoculars.
(lom / mik)
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