In the new year, an asteroid the size of a skyscraper will pierce Earth’s atmosphere, according to NASA. Classified as Asteroid 2013 YD48, by the space agency. NASA also declared it a “potentially hazardous object” on Earth.
According to the report, it will reach a distance of 3.48 million miles from Earth on January 11. The asteroid is about 104 meters wide, roughly the size of Big Ben. It is said that he will lose Earth by 3.48 million miles.
While the distance may seem large, it is actually quite small in terms of space travel. According to reports, anything that passes within 120 million miles of Earth is classified as a Near-Earth Object (NEO) by NASA.
Due to the enormous distances these asteroids travel, even a slight change in their path could destroy Earth. Every day, scientists monitor thousands of these rocks or asteroids to determine if they are on a collision course with Earth.
Three more asteroids scheduled to pass Earth before 2013 YD48
Moreover, YD48 2013 is not the only asteroid that will pass near Earth in the coming weeks, according to the report, three more asteroids are scheduled to pass near Earth before they pass. On Sunday, January 2nd, the 12-meter-wide YK 2021 will fly within 118,000 km of Earth.
On January 6, 2022, 2014 YE15, which is only 7 meters wide, will pass Earth, 4.6 million miles from our planet. The third and final asteroid 2020 AP1, which is only 4 meters wide, will pass us on January 7, at a distance of 1.08 million miles.
It is not uncommon to see asteroids passing near Earth. Earlier this week, an asteroid the size of 2013 YD48 nearly tripled within 1.9 million miles of Earth at a speed of 47,000 miles per hour, according to the space agency.
Similarly, on Christmas Eve, an asteroid estimated to be ten times larger than the Rockefeller Christmas Tree in New York flew to Earth this year. The massive rock, with a diameter of 229 meters, is located 4 million miles from our planet.
(with input from agency)
Photo: Unsplash
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