A ‘potentially hazardous’ asteroid, so large it has its own moon, is hurtling towards Earth at some 48,000 kilometers per hour. The good news is that it’s expected to pass safely, at about 5 million kilometers of us.
Asteroid 1999 KW4 was first discovered two decades ago. It orbits the Sun once every 188 days, passing between the orbits of Venus and Earth as it goes, and is due to make its closest approach to Earth at 23:05 UTC on Saturday.
Classified as a Near Earth Object, the 1.5-kilometer wide asteroid is expected to zip by Earth without causing any harm, though the Minor Planet Center has labelled it ‘potentially hazardous.’ Its companion moon is about half a kilometer wide.
File photo © Pixabay / Родион Журавлёв
Although not visible to the naked eye, keen astronomers equipped with a telescope should be able to clap eyes on the speeding space rock over the next few days. At its closest point to Earth, the asteroid will be about 13 times the distance between our planet and the Moon.
This NASA video marks the asteroid’s path in yellow as it travels through our solar system.
EarthSky notes that this is the biggest asteroid to come so close to Earth for another decade; the next such close encounter is not expected until June 2027.
Original: https://www.rt.com/news/460244-asteroid-close-earth-flyby-may/
Well.. asteroids don't actually have to be large to have "moons". There no size requirements at all! Now if was large enough to see with the naked eye that would be cooler.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Indeed 1.5km isn't so large.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
In other words, odds are good that nothing will come of it, but be ready just in case.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Shit... Younger dryas meteor impacts were 21 years long... And the showers we have can contain rocks big enough to do damage.
Russia had one break up over a city. Blew out windows and was recorded on surveillance cameras and dashcams....
They are not uncommon to see. I do some good stargazing and see them often.
Just takes a good sized one and impact.
Younger dryas meteor shower impacts dumped more energy than our total nuclear weapons combined. Combined....
That was enough to set human civilization in North America back as well as destroy the megafauna.
What great event could cause people to leave their communities and run without even packing what little they owned?
History is coming!
Posted using Partiko Android
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
perfect writing ! that's what I mean x2 !!! perfect !!! what I can do... stick duck !!! impossible... it could be a bigger one... what's the reaction time if they come from the sun? meaning the sun masks? how far is the live mapping of this threat? I mean it pulled down the Trex !!!! remember.... it's too violent... who knows who knows... in an infinite universe, there is an almost infinite number of threats !!!!
The will of God !!! pray pray !!!
and then they will discover that entire galaxies can be gone in an instant... there is no end !!!
who is the greatest? that 's the answer. there is no other. no need to look.
and you know billiard, in the rings... who knows who knows... there is way too much power for the son of man to be able to even think to be able to manage...
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
It's a safe pass however, it still affecting electromagnetic field of Earth that might cuase irrational mood for both human and animals.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
This is a big one. I wonder if NASA or Roscosmos have calculated when the Earth and the asteroid will cross pathways.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Haha... today is sunday, i didn't
see or hear...anything !? :)
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Shit... Younger dryas meteor impacts were 21 years long... And the showers we have can contain rocks big enough to do damage.
Russia had one break up over a city. Blew out windows and was recorded on surveillance cameras and dashcams....
They are not uncommon to see. I do some good stargazing and see them often.
Just takes a good sized one and impact.
Younger dryas meteor shower impacts dumped more energy than our total nuclear weapons combined. Combined....
That was enough to set human civilization in North America back as well as destroy the megafauna.
What great event could cause people to leave their communities and run without even packing what little they owned?
History is coming...
And so many more hitting us and burning up in the atmosphere.
Posted using Partiko Android
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit