April 9, 2020, 8:10 a.m.
On Wednesday, an asteroid comes almost as close to Earth as the moon. Picture: dpa
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By news.de editor Anika Bube
Shortly before Easter, an asteroid comes very close to Earth. According to NASA, the rock flies almost as close to the planet as the moon. Should he leave his trajectory, we could face disaster.
The US space agency Nasa does everything it can to track down near-Earth asteroids in good time in order to identify dangers early. On the website of the Center for Near Earth Object Studies, NASA lists all asteroids that come close to the earth and that can become potentially threatening. During this week, more than ten asteroids thunder past Earth very closely. However, distance is relative with astronomers.
Asteroid2020 GW1 on April 8th, 2020 near Earth
On April 8th, 2020 at exactly 10:37 p.m. asteroid 2020 GW1 its closest point to earth. The lump of space comes close to our planet at 560,640 kilometers. That corresponds to 1.5 times the distance to the moon. It’s really close, but humanity is safe.
Nasa gives the all-clear: No collision with Asteroid2020 GW1
The Asteroid 2020 GW1, according to calculations by Nasa, passes Earth at a sufficient safety distance. But if the rock should change its trajectory, it could cause massive damage in the event of a collision. Asteroid 2020 GW1 only has a diameter of 16 to 35 meters. But the “Meteor from Chelyabinsk” showed on February 15th, 2013 what damage such a boulder can cause. When the small asteroid exploded over the Russian city, more than 3,700 buildings were damaged and almost 1,500 people were injured. Astronomers estimate that it was 19 meters in diameter. Incidentally, the asteroid 2020 GW1 was only discovered on April 3, 2020.
On Easter weekend, by the way, there are two asteroids with a diameter of more than 100 meters, which also thunder very close to Earth. However, we do not have to fear an end of the world.
Also read:XXL asteroid, falling rain and pink super moon in April 2020.
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bua / fka / news.de
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