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An Asteroid measuring 8 times the Monas Monument will pass near the Earth, is it dangerous?

TRIBUNNEWS.COM – The National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN) informs that there will be a giant asteroid that will pass close to Earth.

This asteroid is named 7482 (1994 PC1).

This asteroid was first observed in early August 1994 and measures 1052 meters or eight times the Monas monument.

Image of asteroid (7482) 1994 PC1 taken as it crossed Earth in 1997 ((Sormano Astronomical Observatory))

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This asteroid orbits the Sun for 572 days with an orbital tilt of 33.5° and an orbital elongation of 0.33 (1.65 times that of Mercury’s orbit).

In the past 27 years, this asteroid has passed close Earth five times with the closest distance being reached on January 21, 1997 (12 Ramadan 1417 H) at 06.58 UT with a distance of 9,742,000 km from Earth.

This asteroid will come close again Earth with a distance of 1,982,000 km on January 19, 2022 at 04.51 WIB.

This asteroid is quite dim and its angular size is only 1 arcsecond so it can only be detected through a telescope.

This asteroid belongs to the Apollo family of asteroids category, because the average distance is greater than the average distance Earth to the Sun (149.6 million km) but the closest distance is smaller than the farthest Earth to the Sun (152.1 million km).

Is Life Threatening in Earth?

This asteroid is also included in the potentially dangerous category because in addition to its minimum orbital intersection distance of less than 7.5 million kilometers or one twentieth of an astronomical unit (ie 82,200 km), its size is greater than 300 meters with an absolute brightness of +16.56 and an albedo (intensity ratio) light received and reflected back) is 0.277.

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