At dawn on the 26th of this month, an astronomical analysis revealed that an asteroid slightly larger than an Olympic-sized swimming pool would approach Earth at a considerable distance closer than the moon and pass by. Experts believe the asteroid may be visible in the night sky with standard astronomical telescopes.
According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and EarthSky, an astronomy website, on the 23rd, it was named ‘2023DZ2’ at 3:51 pm on the 25th of this month (4:51 am on the 26th in Korea) based on US Eastern Time It was analyzed that the asteroid would pass between the Earth and the Moon at a speed of 7.7 km per second.
This asteroid, which belongs to the Earth-threatening Apollo asteroid family, is estimated to be between 41 and 92 m in diameter and orbits the sun once every 3.16 years. On this day, the asteroid is expected to approach 174,650 km, which is half the average distance between the Earth and the Moon. In the case of an asteroid that exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia in February 2013 and showed power over a wide area, the diameter was 20 m.
The asteroid was first discovered by astronomers at the La Palma Observatory in the Spanish Canary Islands at the end of February this year.
NASA presented the asteroid approach process via Twitter (@NASA asteroidwatch) and announced that there is no possibility of a collision with Earth. NASA explained that there have been several cases of asteroids approaching the Earth this close, but only once in 10 years does an asteroid of this size pass this close. The International Asteroid Warning Network believes that the asteroid that approached this time will help prepare for potential asteroid threats in the future. Some astronomers believe that 2023DZ2 could collide with Earth on March 27, 2026.
According to a monitoring system developed in 1999 to list Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) that are at risk of colliding with Earth over the next century, another asteroid discovered after this one, 2023DW, is very likely to collide with the Earth. more.
According to the European Space Agency (ESA), the asteroid was first discovered on February 26, and has been added to its own risk list and placed at number 1 in danger. ESA found that this asteroid 2023DW could collide as early as Valentine’s Day in 2046, but could also collide on Valentine’s Day between 2047 and 2051.
However, asteroids can change their orbital path depending on their size. Researchers also said, “The diameter of this asteroid is likely to be about the same as the diameter of an Olympic swimming pool,” and “there may be a lot of uncertainty about its actual size.”
Experts say that people living in the western part of the northern hemisphere see the night of the 24th, the day before, as the best time to see the asteroid through a small telescope. Since this time is during the day on the Korean Peninsula, you can use a star tracking app (application) like Stellarium to see the constellations the asteroid is passing through. Earth Sky said the asteroid can be seen with an astronomical telescope with an aperture of 15 cm or more. Because the asteroid is passing so close, you might expect it to look like a slow-moving star through a small telescope.
