NASA has said that an asteroid will pass near Earth next week without colliding with it, according to CNN.
The asteroid, estimated to be about 1.2 miles wide, appears in agency photos as if it were wearing a face mask like that used to prevent corona virus.
It is called the asteroid 52768, also called “1988 or R2”, and was discovered by tracking near-Earth objects on July 24, 1998.
Image
–
–
–
–
“The small topographical features, such as the hills that appear on one end of the asteroid, make him appear to be wearing a face muzzle,” said Ann Ferrici, head of the planetary radar at Arecibo Observatory, in a statement.
The asteroid will pass on April 29, 3,908,791 miles from Earth, at a speed of 19,461 miles per hour, and this is still 16 times farther from the distance between Earth and Moon, according to the agency.
The agency stressed that it will not collide with the Earth, as if it collides with our planet it may have major impacts.
It is expected to pass at 5:56 am EST, according to the NASA Center for Near Earth Object Studies.
The asteroid was classified as a potentially dangerous object because its diameter is greater than 500 feet and comes 5 million miles from Earth’s orbit.
Experts in Arecibo can monitor asteroids and use observations to determine their path in the future to see if they pose a threat to Earth.
–
–
