Football Stadium-Sized Asteroid to Pass by Earth
Football Field-sized Asteroid to Zoom Past Earth Tonight
A perhaps hazardous asteroid, roughly the size of a football stadium, will make a close approach to Earth early sunday morning.
The massive space rock, traveling at a blistering 27,500 miles per hour (44,300 kilometers per hour), will reach its closest point to our planet at 12:27 a.m. ET,according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). At that time, it will be approximately 1.37 million miles (2.2 million kilometers) away – the closest it has ever been to Earth.
[Image of asteroid 2020 XR]
This historic flyby can be witnessed live through a free online stream hosted by the Virtual Telescope Project (VTP) starting at 1:30 p.m. ET today (December 3rd). The asteroid will also be visible through 8-inch (20 centimeter) telescopes, according to the european Space Agency (ESA).
Classified by NASA as a Near-Earth Object (NEO), 2020 XR’s orbit brings it within 1.3 astronomical units (AU) of the Sun – equivalent to 1.3 times the average distance between the Sun and Earth. Any NEO that comes within 4.65 million miles (7.5 million kilometers) of Earth and has a diameter larger than 500 feet (150 meters) is considered “potentially hazardous.”
While this close encounter might sound alarming, experts assure us there is no threat to our planet. “When astronomers first discovered 2020 XR,they thought there was a small chance it could impact Earth in 2028,” said Juan Luis Cano,coordinator of the ESA’s Near-Earth Object Coordination Center. “But by going back in time and finding the asteroid in old data, they were able to refine its trajectory and rule out any danger.”
Measuring approximately 1,200 feet (366 meters) in diameter, 2020 XR is large enough to obliterate a small city. The last time this asteroid approached Earth was in December 1977 – but at a much greater distance, roughly 10 million miles (16 million kilometers) farther away than its predicted closest approach tonight, according to JPL estimates.
2020 XR is not expected to come this close to Earth again until at least 2196. Its next flyby is predicted for November 2028, but at a considerably greater distance of 11.3 million miles (18.2 million kilometers).
Close Encounter: Football Field-Sized Asteroid Zooms Past Earth Tonight
NEWSDIRECTORY3.COM – Get ready for a celestial show! Tonight, a massive asteroid roughly the size of a football stadium will make a close approach to earth, offering stargazers a rare glimpse of this possibly hazardous Near-Earth Object (NEO).
This colossal space rock, designated 2020 XR, will zip past our planet at a blistering 27,500 miles per hour, reaching its closest point to Earth at 12:27 a.m.ET. At that time, it will be approximately 1.37 million miles away – the nearest it has ever been to Earth.
[Image of asteroid 2020 XR]
Don’t miss this historic flyby! You can catch the event live through a free online stream hosted by the Virtual Telescope Project (VTP) starting at 1:30 p.m. ET today (December 3rd). For those with 8-inch telescopes, 2020 XR will also be visible to the naked eye.
Even though classified as potentially hazardous due to its size (approximately 1,200 feet in diameter) and proximity to Earth,experts reassure the public that there is no danger of an impact.
“When astronomers first discovered 2020 XR, they thought there was a small chance it could impact Earth in 2028,” explained Juan Luis Cano, coordinator of the ESA’s Near-Earth Object Coordination Center.”But by going back in time and finding the asteroid in old data, they were able to refine its trajectory and rule out any danger.”
This asteroid’s last close encounter with Earth was in December 1977, but at a significantly greater distance. 2020 XR isn’t expected to come this close to Earth again until at least 2196.Its next flyby is predicted for November 2028, though, it will be at a much greater distance of 11.3 million miles.