An Asteroid is Exceeding Close to Earth But Will Miss
Asteroids are small space rocks that often enter our solar system. Every now and then, some are on a collision course with our planet and usually, a lot of attention is drawn to these cases.
On this occasion, a small asteroid, named 2020 KT1, is due to have a close encounter with Earth. Fortunately, there is no need to panic because this satellite is expected to pass the planet, at a safe distance.
Relevant Details
The asteroid is believed to measure between 15 and 50 meters in width and will fly by at around 8:10 UTC (4:10 am EDT) at a distance of 3.2 million kilometers (2 million miles). While this is an incredibly close flyby for a space rock of this size, there is no risk of it impacting our planet. In other words, there is no need to worry.
Other Near-Earth Interactions
This kind of event highlights the importance of detecting and monitoring objects that are close to our planet since it permits us to warn the public if one comes too close for comfort.
In fact, there have been other significant close encounters recently. The most memorable one was in February 2019, when a small asteroid exploded over the Brazilian city of Juiz de Fora. Fortunately, no one was hurt in this incident.
Conclusion
To summarize, an asteroid may be coming exceptionally close to Earth but will miss this time. It is essential to carry out follow-up work to monitor similar close flyby’s and to make sure that the public is kept safe.
Fortunately, in this case, that shouldn’t be an issue. An asteroid almost the size of the Empire State Building is set to pass extremely close to Earth this week, but will miss by a narrow margin, scientists said.
On Tuesday, March 16, 2021, asteroid 2021 ET will pass within 27,506 miles of the Earth’s surface, which is about 8 percent of the distance between us and the Moon.
Despite the intense media hype and panicked speculation, researchers say there is no cause for alarm. Tyler Nordgren, a planetary scientist and astronomer from the University of Redlands, California, said the asteroid poses “no risk of impacting Earth.”
This is not the closest an asteroid has come to Earth, and it won’t even be visible to the naked eye on its flyby. However, it will pass close enough for scientists to study it with ground- and space-based telescopes, potentially gathering important data about the how the asteroid was created.
The asteroid has an elliptical orbit, meaning it travels around the sun and comes close to Earth regularly. Scientists estimate that the asteroid visits Earth every 17 years, and this week’s flyby will be its seventh closest approach, according to the Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS). The closest it has ever been was 20,940 miles in 2004.
We can take solace in the fact that NASA and other agencies have been tracking asteroids for decades and have systems in place to detect and monitor them for hazardous paths. Impacts are rare and tend to be tiny, but NASA is on the lookout and is ready to act should the need arise.
In the meantime, we can enjoy this close encounter without fear, since with this asteroid, at least, all signs are pointing to a safe flyby.