NASA has a series of advanced technological equipment used to observe and monitor near-Earth objects (NEOs) such as asteroids, comets and others. Using it, the US space agency revealed that the orbits of both asteroids would bring them closer to Earth today. One of them is a colossal asteroid which is considered a “potentially hazardous object”. This space rock was discovered by NASA’s Defense Coordination Office (PDCO), which is responsible for monitoring the sky and observing various near-Earth objects (NEO). Study the details of his close approach.
Asteroid 2018 YJ2: Close approach details
According to the Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), the asteroid was named Asteroid 2018 YJ2. This near-Earth space rock is estimated to be within 7 million kilometers of the planet. It is moving towards Earth at an incredible speed of about 47,012 kilometers per hour, which is much faster than an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)!
NASA states that this space rock is included in the group of near-Earth asteroids, namely near-Earth asteroids that cross the Earth and have a semi-axis larger than the Earth. This asteroid is named after the large asteroid Apollo of 1862, which was discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth in the 1930s.
Asteroid 2018 YJ2 has passed Earth before, and this is not its first close approach to Earth. This asteroid first passed Earth in history on May 31, 1902 at a distance of approximately 34 million kilometers. After today, it will approach Earth again on May 28 2027 at a distance of 49 million kilometers.
How big is the asteroid?
NASA considers it a potentially dangerous asteroid because of its enormous size. This means that if a space rock hit Earth, the impact would be catastrophic not only for the planet but also for humanity. In terms of size, it is almost 480 feet wide, making it almost as big as a skyscraper!
It is nearly 10 times larger than the Chelyabinsk asteroid, which exploded over the Russian city in 2013, destroying 7,000 buildings and injuring 1,000 people with flying glass shards.
2023-12-22 22:23:47
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