NASA is currently monitoring a massive asteroid that will cross Earth's orbit on Saturday (April 18). According to the data collected by the agency, the approaching asteroid is bigger than the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.
The incoming asteroid has been identified by NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) as 2020 FV6 . As indicated in the agency's database, this asteroid is currently moving across the Solar System at an incredible speed of over 44,000 miles per hour.
Not to change the topic here:
One Step Closer to Touching Asteroid Bennu | NASA
100th lunar asteroid collision confirmed by second telescope
Smaller Earth impactors are too small to be detected directly with telescopes and too unpredictable to be captured reliably with ground-based 'fireball' cameras. Instead, to get an idea of how common these objects are and their potential threat to Earth, we look to the moon.
The moon's atmosphere is negligible, with a total mass of less than 10 tonnes. As such, even tiny asteroids travelling at fast speeds leave an impact—as illustrated by its heavily cratered surface.
Impacts on asteroids produce regolith, erase small craters
"The first objective of this study was to investigate and model the production, loss, and retention of impact-generated regolith on spacecraft-observed asteroids 433 Eros, 2867 Steins, and 25143 Itokawa," Richardson said. "The second objective was to investigate and model the effects of impact-induced seismic shaking on the crater population of these same three asteroids.
"To perform this study, we utilized the numerical, three-dimensional, Small Body Cratered Terrain Evolution Model (SBCTEM), introduced in a 2009 paper, which received a significant upgrade for this work," Richardson said. "In this model, a computer-generated asteroid surface is bombarded by millions of small impactors as a function of time, simulating the collisional conditions that exist in the middle of the Main Asteroid Belt.
Many things are taking place:
NASA: 2 Asteroids To Intersect Earth's Orbit This Week
NASA's automated asteroid tracking system has detected two asteroids that are expected to approach Earth On Wednesday. According to the data collected by the agency's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), the approaching asteroids have natural orbits that intersect Earth's path.
The asteroid that will first approach Earth on April 15 has been identified as 2020 FX3 . As indicated in CNEOS' database, this asteroid has an estimated diameter of 295 feet, making it almost as big as the Statue of Liberty.
Interstellar object 'Oumuamua believed to be 'active asteroid' | Space | The Guardian
The cigar-shaped interstellar visitor to our solar system known as 'Oumuamua could be the remnants of a larger body that was torn apart by its host star, according to researchers.
Now scientists say they have shed light on the mystery and addressed the myriad pieces of the 'Oumuamua puzzle.
They say 'Oumuamua is an "active asteroid" formed from a body that was torn apart by its parent star and then ejected into interstellar space.
NASA OSIRIS-REx Successfully 'Rehearses' Bennu Landing - Firstshopp
The schematic representation of the trajectory followed by OSIRIS-REx during its Checkpoint trial. (Image: NASA)
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Mankind’s quest to better understand asteroids just went a step closer. Yesterday, on April 15, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx space probe reached its closest yet approach to the asteroid Bennu, marking a final trial run of sorts ahead of its eventual landing and sample collection endeavour scheduled for later this year.
These photographs have revealed in closer detail Nightingale, the northern hemisphere crater on Bennu’s surface, in which OSIRIS-REx is set to land in. The probe’s closest ever approach to Bennu brought to a mean altitude of 75 metres from the asteroid’s surface. Since reaching Bennu, OSIRIS-REx has remained in a ‘safe home’ orbit, studying the asteroid from up close, yet afar. Its general orbit around Bennu is 1km above the surface.
Asteroid news: A 4KM rock to make Earth 'close approach' - astronomers can already see
According to Astrophysicist Gianluca Masi of the Virtual Telescope Project in Italy, the asteroid was about 15.5 million miles (25 million km) from Earth on March 24.
But the space rock is already visible to some telescopes, appearing as a bright dot of light against the starlit sky.
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"This 1.8 to 4.1km large asteroid will come as close as 6.3 millions of kilometres from us next April 29 - more than 16 times the average lunar distance: it will not hit us - becoming bright enough to be seen with modest optical equipment."
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