An asteroid slightly smaller than the largest structure in the U.S. is slated to harmlessly zoom past Earth later this month.
Known as 2006 SF6, the space rock will zip past Earth on Nov. 20 at approximately 2.7 million miles (0.02886 astronomical units) at roughly 12:01 a.m. EDT, according to NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies , which tracks near-Earth objects.
According to a 2018 report put together by Planetary.org, there are more than 18,000 NEOs.
Many things are taking place:
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The asteroid is an Apollo-type space rock, meaning it crosses Earth’s orbit on a path similar to Asteroid 1862 Apollo.
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According to the European Space Agency (ESA), NEOs are comets and asteroids orbiting the Sun from a distance of 1.3 astronomical units.
ESA said: “The term ‘near-Earth object’ basically refers to any natural object, like an asteroid, whose orbit brings it close to Earth.
2019 TA7: This 111 Foot-wide Asteroid Just Made Its Closest Approach to Earth in 115 Years
An asteroid passed by Earth last night in what was the object's closest approach in more than a century.
The space rock, known as 2019 TA7, safely flew by our planet, at a distance of around 930,000 miles at 6:53 p.m. EDT on Monday, according to NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS.) This is about four times the distance from the Earth to the moon.
This is the space rock's closest approach since 1904, when it skimmed past the Earth at a distance of 1.8 million miles, according to figures from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory .
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Dr Masi said: “On November 1, 2019, at 8.42pm UTC, the just discovered asteroid UG11 will safely come very close, at about 210,000km from us just 50 percent of the average lunar distance. Almost on time for Halloween.
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The astrophysicist snapped an incredible picture of the asteroid approaching Earth on Wednesday, October 30.
The blurry streaks surrounding the asteroid are star trails – an effect of long exposure astrophotography.
Were you following this:
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According to the European Space Agency (ESA), NEOs warrant interest because they “could potentially hit our planet”.
Depending on their size, speed and composition, these impact could cause “considerable damage”.
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ESA said: “While the chance of a large object hitting Earth is very small, it would produce a great deal of destruction.”
The agency estimates UD7 measures somewhere in the range of 20.9ft to 45.9ft (6.4m to 14m) in diameter.
NASA Predicts Almost 30 Potential Earth Impacts For Approaching Asteroid
NASA and the European Space Agency's (ESA) asteroid impact monitoring system has detected a space rock that has a chance of hitting Earth within the next couple of years. According to NASA, it has recorded almost 30 potential Earth impacts from the approaching asteroid.
The approaching asteroid has been identified as 2008 JL3 . It is currently part of a list maintained by NASA's Sentry , which is the agency's automated impact monitoring system.
Similarly, the ESA is also closely monitoring 2008 JL3 and has included it in its Risk List. Like NASA's Sentry, the ESA's Risk List keeps a catalog of near-Earth objects that have non-zero impact probabilities.
Asteroid alert: NASA tracks two rocks flying towards Earth - Will the asteroids hit?
NASA has dubbed both asteroids Near-Earth Objects or NEOs flying close to Earth’s orbit of the Sun.
NEOs are all asteroids and comets that race around the Sun from a distance of 1.3 astronomical units.
NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) keep a watchful eye on these objects to determine if they pose a threat to Earth.
ESA said: “The term ‘near-Earth object’ basically refers to any natural object, like an asteroid, whose orbit brings it close to Earth.
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From time to time, the orbits of these asteroids intersect with that of Earth as the planet goes around the giant star.
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If the asteroids approach these planets at very close distances, they can get affected by their gravitational pull, altering the space rocks’ trajectories.
An impact event caused by any of these asteroids, including 2019 TR2, would decimate large regions of the planet.
At its closest, the asteroid will approach Earth from a distance of 0.04874 astronomical units (au).
Happening on Twitter
Massive 2,000-foot asteroid to whiz past Earth later this month https://t.co/0zPaFwJBM4 FOXLA (from Los Angeles, CA) Wed Nov 06 02:03:25 +0000 2019
SO COOL! A massive 2,000-pound, 15 foot great white shark named Unama'ki was tagged in Canada last month and has al… https://t.co/caSpcgk8kV wsvn (from Miami / Fort Lauderdale) Mon Oct 28 14:35:13 +0000 2019
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