A giant asteroid will fly close to Earth in April

A Large and potentially hazardous asteroid ready to fly past Earth in the next month. Despite the associated concerns, space visitor does not bear any danger for the inhabitants of our planet, but rather may even help modern science to grow with new information about the structure of such objects. At the moment we are flying to an asteroid known as 1998 OR2 and has a diameter of about 4 kilometers. In what way, astronomers were able to observe the approach of the asteroid and why object 1998 OR2 is considered a threat, although it currently is not? We already have the answers to all these questions.

Asteroid close to Earth

A Huge asteroid, hurtling at incredible speed towards the Earth, will make a rapprochement with our planet on 29 April 2020. The diameter of the hefty space rock is approximately 1.8-4.1 kilometers, which is similar to the approximate dimensions of the American island of Manhattan.

Yeah, if the planet will drop an asteroid the size of Manhattan, we will not find it

If an asteroid this size crashed into the Earth, already shouting in panic, some configured media, the explosion, triggered by the fall of this giant of stone, could cause mass extinction of living beings on our planet, repeating the scenario that resulted . To the great relief of us all, the orbit of an asteroid approaching does not include its passage in the zone of influence of the force of gravity of our planet, which exclude the possibility of a collision with a cosmic wanderer. So, even at the crucial moment of closest rapprochement, which will occur at about the hour of day Moscow time, the asteroid 1998 OR2 will be at a distance of about 6.3 million kilometers from Earth, which is more than 16 times greater than the average distance between the Earth and the Moon.

a Potentially hazardous asteroid

Though NASA has officially classified the asteroid 1998 OR2 as «potentially dangerous», the distance between us will guarantee the absolute security of mankind. By placing an asteroid in the rank of dangerous objects, NASA wanted to show that the object meets certain criteria in the General system of classification space Agency. According to NASA, the asteroids in that case, if their orbit intersects the orbit of the planet at a distance of less than 7.5 million kilometers. As we have already said, the asteroid 1998 OR2 will fly at a distance of approximately 6.3 million kilometers from Earth. So what criteria NASA this asteroid is really dangerous, but because of the prosperous trajectory of his flight, we nothing to fear.

the Approach of an asteroid to the Earth

The fact that we are flying a huge asteroid, the scientists found with the help of images taken with the telescope «Elan». Image submitted by Agency to the General public, show a potentially hazardous asteroid 1998 OR2 in the night sky on 16 March 2020, writes . As at the moment the asteroid is far away from us, he looks like a little white dot among the same little stars.

Asteroid 1998 OR2 in the picture

Revolving around the Sun between the orbits of Earth and Mars, the asteroid 1998 OR2 will return to Earth only to may 2031, but then it will be from us almost 3 times farther than at present. According to preliminary calculations by NASA, the next time we from the asteroid will separate as many as 19 million kilometers. So we are unlikely to notice it with the naked eye.

The Following two arrival space traveler in 2048 and 2062 will happen even further, and the maximum possible approximation of an asteroid with Earth will take place on April 16, 2079, when he will be 1.8 million kilometers from us. However, even such an approximation is unlikely to be dangerous for the inhabitants of planet Earth. A much more dangerous event could happen as early as 2036, when the world will be opened in 2004 . Despite the fact that the possibility of collision with the 325-meter stone is currently considered unlikely, the probability of the intruder to the Ground still exists. About the effects of the fall on our planet large asteroid you can read .

General, in the next few years will fly past us:

2021 asteroid 2008 KV2 (48 million km, 330 meters in diameter).
the 2022 — the asteroid Didymos (10,9 million km, 165 meters in diameter).
the 2023 — the asteroid 2018 LF16 (22 000 km, 200 meters in diameter);
the 2024 — the asteroid 1979 XB (the distance is unknown, 900 meters in diameter);
the 2025 — the asteroid FT3 (distance unknown, 340 meters in diameter).

As you can see, we every year a little bit, but are at risk. But in the spring of 2020, we should not worry about dangerous asteroids, because we are threatened by a coronavirus, to stop of which .

Despite its daunting size, the asteroid 1998 OR2 poses no threat to Land.