Hello steemians, Today I will tell you about the 2002 asteroid AJ129 that NASA discovered and declared it PHA (Potentially Hazardous Asteroid).
This 4th of February at 1:30 p.m. PST (4:30 p.m. EST / 21:30 UTC) will pass "near" the 2002 asteroid AJ129. Should we be alarmed?
- When was it discovered?
In the year 2002, NASA discovered this asteroid and it has been tracked until today. It was observed from the Maui asteroid surveillance site in Haleakala, Hawaii, that this place is funded by NASA.
- How big is?
It measures between 500 and 1200 meters. Still the scientists do not have it very clear. To have an idea in mind is twice the tallest building in the United States.
One World Trade Center (541 m)
- What is your path?
The distance that separates the AJ129 from the planet earth is 4.2 million kilometers. It will be close? If you already know that the distance from the moon to the earth is 384,400 kilometers, this means that it will pass a distance of 10 times more than the distance from the sun to the moon.
The asteroids that pass less than 7.5 million kilometers and that have a diameter greater than 140 meters are named potentially dangerous thanks to the program of observations of objects near the Earth of the Americans.
But calm, we must say again that we will not die thanks to an asteroid. It is simply a definition that NASA gives to those objects that can collapse or cause regional damage. But nevertheless, they do not have to.
NASA explains that this object has no chance to collapse with the planet earth.
Trajectory of the asteroid AJ129.
- What is your speed?
The speed at which the AJ129 travels is 34 kilometers per second just as it passes closer through the earth.
- Return?
In 2024 we will make another visit. February 4 will not be the first time that the AJ129 visits us. He has passed close to the planet earth on 4 occasions.
- January 26, 2002
- April 7, 2008
- January 10, 2010
- April 13, 2016
He will visit us again on April 18, 2024, February 9, 2026 and April 21, 2032.
- Have other asteroids passed as close?
The AJ129 is not the first nor the last one that passes so close, there have been others that passed a shorter distance. Like the 2018 BX that visited us a few days ago (January 18). Step to 34.600 kilometers from the earth, closer still than the distance to the moon.
Because of its size, none is a problem beyond satellites. Not even if it had come to collide, since the atmosphere would have disintegrated them.
Here I will leave a link with the trajectory of the AJ129.
Sources from where I extracted the information.
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/asteroid-2002-aj129-to-fly-safely-past-earth-february-4
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7042
https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/3241543/0/asteroide-peligroso-se-acercara-tierra/
Thank you for your attention, I hope you liked it, this was all the information I will keep you informed of what will happen these days with the AJ129.
See you in the next steemians.